UP: Electricity Engineer Assaulted, Held Hostage Over Power Theft...
A junior engineer with the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited was allegedly held hostage and physically assaulted by a mob in Bijnor's Bagdarpur...
By GT24x7 Reporter··GlobalToday24x7
A routine inspection to curb power pilferage in western Uttar Pradesh escalated into violence in Bagdarpur village under the Chandpur police station limits of Bijnor district, after a junior engineer (JE) of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) was allegedly restrained, assaulted, and held hostage by a crowd of local residents. The confrontation occurred when the enforcement team documented an illegal tap on a main incoming service line that reportedly supplied electricity to several commercial shops in addition to a private household.
A video recording of the encounter, which emerged across social media platforms four days after the incident, depicted the official seated on a cot surrounded by an agitated gathering while being subjected to verbal abuses and physical strikes. The incident prompted strong protests from departmental employee associations, leading to formal police intervention, multiple bookings for obstructing public servants, and an ongoing investigation into statements recorded by both sides.
Discovery of Unauthorized Multi-Point Electricity Diversion
According to the official complaint lodged by Junior Engineer Sudip Kumar Sharma, stationed at the local Bagdarpur power distribution sub-station, the incident occurred during a scheduled field checking drive conducted alongside his technical staff. Upon inspecting a residential property owned by a local resident identified as Sanjeev, the inspection squad discovered that the incoming cable preceding the electricity meter had been sliced open.
Investigators recorded that the bypassed line was being utilized to operate heavy electrical appliances, including a room heater, while simultaneously distributing unmetered power to a row of adjacent commercial shops. In adherence to statutory regulatory requirements, the departmental staff commenced mobile videography to catalog the irregularities as physical evidence for penalty assessment and legal recovery. The documentation prompted immediate objections from the property owner and family members, escalating into a volatile verbal standoff.
Detention, Physical Assault, and Police Rescue
As the inspection team attempted to formalize the seizure of unauthorized cables, the premises owner allegedly summoned neighbors and local functionaries to the spot. An assembly of approximately 20 to 30 people converged on the location, effectively encircling the department team. According to the first information report, the crowd seized mobile devices belonging to the officials, prevented the junior engineer from departing the premises, forced him onto a cot, and subjected him to multiple physical blows and threats.
Other field technicians managed to contact the local police control room. A patrol unit from the Chandpur police station arrived at the scene shortly afterward, de-escalated the perimeter, and safely evacuated Sharma and his colleagues from the residence. The injured engineer was transferred to a local medical center for preliminary treatment and medico-legal documentation.
Conflicting Claims, Legal Registration, and Arrests
Following the extraction, departmental engineers and line staff gathered outside the Chandpur police station demanding swift penal action against the assailants under charges of assault and obstruction of government duty. Concurrently, village representatives, accompanied by members of local farmer unions, submitted a counter-complaint alleging that the inspection personnel entered the private property without prior notification and engaged in disrespectful conduct with household members.
Chandpur Station House Officer (SHO) Rahul Singh confirmed that an FIR was registered based on Sharma’s formal statement. The police booked six named suspects—including the village head's husband Navneet, Sanjeev, Sudhanshu, Ankit, and Mohit—alongside 20 to 30 unidentified individuals under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Law enforcement authorities subsequently ...