Kalain: Stone Pelting Over Smart Meter Leads To Severe Injuries Of Two APDCL Staff

SILCHAR: While installing smart meters and looking into meter tampering in Khelma Part-ll, Kalain, on Friday afternoon, an Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) team was attacked in a startling event. In addition to seriously injuring two employees, the attack caused 41 local residents to lose their electricity.

The APDCL subdivision team, along with staff from Gumrah Outpost, was inspecting tampered digital meters and setting up smart meters in the village when the attack happened at around 2:00 pm. The squad was physically attacked and stones were thrown, officials said.

Rahim Uddin Choudhury and Nur Islam Barbhuiya, two outsourced line employees, suffered serious injuries. Barbhuiya needed stitches in both legs and sustained a back injury, while Choudhury sustained a prostate damage. Following their first care at Kalain Health Centre, both were referred to Silchar Medical College and Hospital.

According to Sub-Divisional Engineer Subham Das, the attack was unprecedented. He said, “This is the first time we've experienced such violence in our sub-division. While smart meter installations have been ongoing without major resistance-27,000 installed out of 57,000 consumers-problems arise in areas prone to power theft.”

The locals most likely opposed the installation of smart meters because they were worried about detecting electricity theft, Das said. He added, “Some meters are defective and billed on an average basis. Many consumers resist replacements as actual consumption becomes evident, especially in theft-prone areas.”

The assault intensified when team members attempted to flee the area. “They punctured the tyres of the vehicle and destroyed a staff member's mobile phone and earphones to erase video evidence," Das revealed.

The 25 KVA transformer that supplied 41 users was cut off after the violence.

Locals attacked the two APDCL employees, as seen in the graphic images taken from the scene. The clip depicts the assailants throwing stones at the team, causing a violent and disorderly environment while the employees attempted to perform their jobs.

Shortly after the incident, police showed up to help keep things under control. Despite their insistence that they had not harmed anyone, some people were arrested regardless.

The APDCL accused 13 people of encouraging the violence, throwing stones, and damaging property and employees in a formal complaint.

The accused are Abu Anchar, Sahar Uddin Barbhuiya, Komrul Islam, Abdul Kayur Choudhury, Ikbal Hussain Choudhury, Dilwar Hussain Choudhury, Abdul Monaf, Abdul Malik, Abdul Hanan, Sahab Uddin, Abdul Kayum, Sahajul Islai, and Alai Uddin.

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