Patna, March 27 (IANS) A serious law-and-order concern has emerged from Gopalganj, where a government team conducting an electricity theft inspection was allegedly attacked by locals in Bakharaur village under the Sidhwalia police station area on Friday.
According to the police, the Electricity Department team, led by a Junior Electrical Engineer, had reached the village following repeated complaints of power theft.
However, as soon as they began their inspection, they faced resistance from locals, which quickly escalated from verbal arguments into a violent confrontation.
The situation spiralled out of control when an angry mob allegedly assaulted the officials.
Several employees, including the Junior Engineer, were beaten, verbally abused, and even threatened with death.
The sudden attack created chaos at the scene, leaving multiple electricity workers injured.
The injured personnel were initially given first aid locally and later referred to the Sadar Hospital in Gopalganj for further treatment due to the seriousness of their injuries.
Following the incident, the victims lodged an FIR at the Sidhwalia police station.
Senior officers, including SDPO Rajesh Kumar and SHO Somnath Jha, rushed to the spot to assess the situation.
SDPO Rajesh Kumar stated that continuous raids are being conducted to track down those involved in the assault.
Police have registered a case based on the complaint of the Junior Electrical Engineer and have launched a manhunt to identify and arrest those involved.
Authorities confirmed that the team had gone to the village based on intelligence inputs about electricity theft, but was met with unexpected violence.
Following the violent attack, police officials have assured strict and swift action against the accused.
At present, all the accused are absconding, but the police have expressed confidence that they will be arrested soon and brought to justice.
The incident has sparked serious concerns about the safety of government officials working on the ground, especially during enforcement drives such as those against electricity theft.
--IANS
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