Four power utility staff injured on duty after family attacks them over unpaid bills

The Gurugram police on Tuesday booked four family members for allegedly assaulting and threatening the staff of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) in Adarsh Colony of sector 12

The Gurugram police on Tuesday booked four family members for allegedly assaulting and threatening the staff of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) in Adarsh Colony of sector 12.

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The four-member DHBVN team had gone to cut the power to the house of a person named Khilu Ram over unpaid dues when they were assaulted, said police. Police said that this was the third such incident reported this month.

The DHBVN staff included linemen Brijmohan and Jitender, and their assistants Rinku and Rahul.

When the team asked Ram for their electricity bill receipts for the last four months, which he had claimed he had paid, he went inside the house to fetch it, said Gurugram police commissioner K K Rao. The DHBVN told police that when Ram failed to show up an hour later, they went ahead and disabled the electricity meter, cutting off the power supply.

It was then that Ram, his brother and two sons allegedly attacked the staff.

“The four of them got the sticks and iron rods and started hitting four of them. Ram asked his son to lock the gates from inside and not let the staff go out,” he said.

But by then a team member managed to contact the police who came to their rescue. The victims were sent to a hospital for treatment of their injuries and were stable, said police.

A case under sections 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of Indian Penal Code was registered at Sector 14 police station on Tuesday. No one was arrested till the filing of this report.

DHBVN sub-divisional officer Sanjay Mangla said that their teams had called the consumer last week and reminding him of his dues. “He had assured to pay by Monday. Later, he said he will do it online, and after that he stopped responding to calls following which the team was sent to his house,” he said.

Manoj Yadav, superintending engineer, DHBVN, Gurugram 1, said that they had prepared a list of electricity bill defaulters. “A team will be sent to each defaulter to remove their electricity metres. Incidents of assault on DHBVN officials have increased this year. We have got case registered in each incident and have hired best lawyers to fight our case to ensure maximum punishments to the suspects,” he said.