Angered by frequent and prolonged power outages in his constituency, Virendra Jati, Congress MLA from Jhabreda in Haridwar district, staged an unusual protest by cutting off the electricity supply to senior power department officials’ residences.
On Tuesday, Jati arrived in Roorkee with his supporters, carrying a ladder and cutting tools. He first climbed an electricity pole outside the official residence of superintending engineer Vivek Rajput at the Boat Club area and disconnected the power supply.
The MLA then moved in a convoy to the homes of chief engineer Anupam Singh and executive engineer Vinod Pandey, where he similarly snapped their electricity connections. Notably, the chief engineer was among the three officials whose homes were left without power.
‘Public Suffers for Hours, Officials Can’t Bear One Hour’
Jati alleged that residents of his constituency have been facing unannounced power cuts lasting five to eight hours daily, leading to public hardship and heavy business losses. He claimed he had repeatedly raised the issue with the electricity department over the past 10 days but received no response.
“After just one hour without electricity, the officials were in distress. But the public suffers for hours every day,” the MLA said, defending his actions.
Police Complaint Against The MLA
The electricity department filed a complaint against Jati at the Roorkee Civil Lines Police Station, accusing him of cutting power lines without a proper shutdown.
According to the department, the MLA’s actions could have led to a serious accident. The complaint stated that the act amounted to a violation of safety norms and rules, and constituted direct interference in government functioning.
Police are now examining the complaint as the incident triggers debate over protest methods, accountability, and public anger over persistent power outages.