Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh), July 31: In a shocking incident, a private lineman from the electricity department was held hostage in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur. The incident was caught on camera and the video of the incident is doing rounds on social media. It can be seen in the video that the lineman is tied to a pole and held hostage by the local residents after he reportedly tried to disconnect illegal electricity connections.
According to reports from Dainik Bhaskar, the electricity department had received complaints about illegal power connections in the Kanshiram Awas Colony in Shahganj. Acting on the complaint, private lineman identified as Baccha Pandey was sent to the area to cut the unauthorised connections.
However, when he started his work, some local residents got into an argument with him. The dispute escalated and a group of locals forcibly tied the lineman to an electric pole and held him hostage.
An onlooker recorded the shocking incident on his mobile and made the video viral on social media. The video shows that a heated argument is still going on between the locals and the lineman. The locals can be heard in the video asking him the reason for the disconnection and also the name of the official who sent him for the job. He said that the official's name is Rajkumar Singh. The locals are seen threatening that the one who comes to his rescue will also be thrashed.
The lineman is seen replying to them, saying that he disconnection the illegal power connections as he was assigned the task by his seniors and also said the name of the senior official who ordered the task.
As soon as electricity department officials received information about the incident, they rushed to the spot. Executive Engineer Amit Kumar Dharma and his team pacified the crowd and managed to free the lineman safely.
Police Action
There are reports that no official police complaint has been registered in connection with the matter, despite the video going viral on social media. The incident has raised serious concerns over the safety of the electricity workers, especially those who are given the task of disconnecting the illegal power connections in such areas.
