Villagers chase away power technicians in northern India after smart meter dispute
by ShravyaIn a heated confrontation in northern India’s Bihar, villagers chased away power technicians who had come to install smart meters.
The incident took place in Bettiah city of West Champaran district on October 5.
Visuals showed one of the power technicians being beaten by the villagers, who used brooms and sticks to drive the workers out of the village. A technician had climbed a pole to cut the village’s power supply but was soon surrounded by women waiting below with brooms.
According to reports, on Saturday, the workers arrived to install smart meters, but when the villagers rejected the installation, the situation escalated. Angered by the technician’s threat to cut the village’s power, the villagers, armed with brooms and sticks, chased the worker. The lineman, fearing for his safety, climbed down and fled. Rural women expressed their firm stance against the smart meters, claiming the workers had tried to install them forcefully.