Power engineers have demanded stern action against the Vir Singh Patel, the Samjwadi Party MlA from Chitrakoot for assaulting an assistant engineer in the district. The MlA allegedly damaged the computer and the office furniture. The power employees incensed over the incident disrupted the power supply in the entire district on Saturday. The power supply was however restored after several hours after the police assured to lodge an FIR against the MlA.
The president of the UPSEB engineers association GK Mishra demanded from the Government to provide gunners to engineers and also implement the ‘Engineers safety Act’ for the protection of engineers.
Vir Singh Patel is the son of dreaded dacoit Dadua of Banda district of Bundelkhand. The dacoit was killed in an encounter with the police in July 2007. The ruling party MlA had gone to the office of the executive engineer of distribution division and exerted pressure on the Sub divisional officer (SDO) for slashing the estimate for the installation of the electricity connection. At the premises of one of his supporters. The MlA had asked the SDO to reduce the estimate from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 50,000. Following the refusal by the engineer to oblige the MlA, Vir Singh Patel along with his supporters allegedly assaulted the Sub divisional officer.
The MlA has however denied that he was involved in any such incident. He said the engineer had demanded bribe for approving the estimate for the installation of the power connection .The MlA alleged that the SDO assaulted Pawan Patel, district president of the Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha when he protested against the demand for the bribe. Vir Singh Patel also charged that the SDO himself damaged his computer only to frame him in the false charges.