Samajwadi Party MP Zia ur Rahman Barq has been slapped with a fine of Rs 1.91 crore by the electricity department for alleged tampering with the electricity meters installed at his home, reported News 18 quoting sources. 


On Thursday, the Sambhal MP was booked by the Uttar Pradesh police for alleged theft of electricity at his residence in the Deepa Sarai neighbourhood of the Uttar Pradesh district. 


The action against Barq was taken after a team from the state electricity department reached his residence and conducted checks following allegations of tampering with the electricity meters. 


Barq was booked under Section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003, (theft of power or unauthorised use of electricity) while his father Mamlukur Rehman Barq was also booked for allegedly threatening government officials during the power department's inspection at their home. 


"On checking the meter of the consumer received from the electrical testing laboratory, it is clear that electricity theft has been done by bypassing the meter and using electricity illegally," stated the FIR lodged on a complaint by a power department official.


Sambhal Superintendent of Police, Krishna Kumar Bishnoi said Santosh Tripathi of the electricity department went to the house of Barq's father to check the electricity equipment.


During the inspection, Mamlukur Rahman Barq "abused engineers V K Gangal and Ajay Kumar Sharma, obstructed government work and said that 'the dispensation will change and we will ruin you'. The incident has been video recorded by the electricity department," he said.


Mamlukur Rehman Barq and two others -- Wasim and Salman -- have been booked under relevant provisions of law at the Nakhasa police station, Bishnoi added.


The power department's superintending engineer in Sambha, Vinod Kumar said Barq's house had two connections of 2 kilowatt each. One connection was under his name while the other was registered in the name of his grandfather, who had passed away.


"Two days ago, we installed smart meters at his place. In the last six months, the metres showed zero unit consumption. Today, when the premises were checked, a 16.48 kilowatt load was found at his place. When both his electricity meters were sent to the lab, it was found in the MRI test that both the meters were tampered with," Singh said.


During the check on Thursday, the two electricity department officials said they were threatened by MP's father. A complaint has been lodged with the police in this regard also," he added.