Power JEs seek protection
Dharmendra Joshi
Tribune News Service

Kapurthala, September 2
After an attack on an acting SDO and a meter reader, Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), junior engineers (JEs) have decided not to make raids in Kapurthala circle to detect power theft without police help.

Kapurthala circle president, Council of JEs, Ramesh Chandra said they on Monday had submitted a memorandum to SE Ishwar Singh to this effect.

Earlier, Additional SDO Ashwani Sharma and meter reader Surinder Singh were attacked on Friday evening allegedly by Mohan Singh and his six associates after they had detected power thefts at six houses in Kahlawan villages under Kapurthala city division.

The acting SDO with PSEB team had raided several places at Kahlawan village and detected six cases of power theft. When the SDO and the meter reader were returning to the office from the village on a scooter, Mohan Singh forced them to stop by parking a car in front of their vehicle.

Subsequently, they took them to Mohan’s house, where he and his six others thrashed them. They saved their lives when Mohan’s mother intervened. Both of them were admitted to Kapurthala Civil Hospital.

The police arrested three accused under Sections 332, 353, 186, 342, 506, 389, 148 and 149, IPC. Mohan Singh, Satinder Singh and Sidhu were remanded in police custody for two days.

State acting president of the council Raj Kumar Chaudhary said the police had not added sections of kidnapping and attempt to murder in the FIR. Chaudhary met Kapurthala circle SE Ishwar Singh in this regard.

Sadar police station SHO Sarabjit Rai said Section 308, IPC, was included in the FIR on Monday evening.