Amid Cong's free electricity promise, another man attacks power supply company employee in Karnataka

Police arrested a man for allegedly attacking an employee of the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company Limited (GESCOM) in Koppal district.

Published on: May 25, 2023, 11:23:32 IST

PTIPosted by Yamini C S

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Police on Wednesday arrested a man for allegedly attacking an employee of the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company Limited (GESCOM) in Koppal district, and refusing to pay his electricity bill dues.

The man abused and attacked a GESCOM employee when he was asked to pay the power bill. (HT File)

A resident of Kukanapalli in Koppal abused and attacked a GESCOM employee when he was asked to pay the power bill, police sources said.

READ | Free power plan poses challenge for Karnataka Congress

The supply of power to the house of the accused was cut for not paying the bill. However, the accused is said to have taken an illegal connection, and when the GESCOM staff had gone to question him and asked him to pay the bill, he allegedly abused and attacked one of them, they said.

The incident, recorded on the mobile phone by the GESCOM employee's colleague, is being circulated on social media. People have linked this incident with several alleged incidents of people arguing with power supply company staff, refusing to pay bills and dues.

READ | Bommai, Kateel slam Cong's 'no saffronisation, no moral policing' move in Karnataka

Videos are circulating on social media of such incidents where people are seen giving the excuse that the Karnataka government has guaranteed free electricity. The Congress has promised free electricity for up to 200 units to every house on coming to power. The new government in its first cabinet meeting on May 20 had accorded in-principle approval to its five poll guarantees, including 200 units of free power.

After the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had assured that the guarantees would "most likely" be implemented after the next Cabinet meeting.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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