Power Misuse: Rajasthan Engineer booked for cutting supply over food delay
A power distribution company official in Rajasthan has been suspended after allegedly ordering the disconnection of electricity to an entire locality following a dispute at a roadside eatery where he was asked to wait for his food.
The incident took place on Thursday night along the Hanumangarh-Kishangarh Mega Highway in the Deedwana-Kuchaman district , officials said. The accused, Balveer Singh , serves as an Assistant Engineer (Rural) with Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (AVVNL) in Kuchaman City.
According to preliminary reports, Singh had stopped at a dhaba and placed an order. However, the staff requested him to wait as the establishment was dealing with a heavy rush of customers at the time. Allegedly angered by the delay, Singh left the eatery and soon after directed power department staff to snap the electricity supply to the surrounding area .
The sudden outage reportedly affected several establishments and residents in the locality, drawing attention from locals and triggering questions about the reason behind the power disruption.
When the matter began circulating publicly, Singh initially claimed that the power outage was caused by a dumper vehicle coming into contact with overhead power lines , resulting in a technical fault. However, the explanation came under scrutiny after a video related to the incident surfaced on social media , contradicting the version presented by the official.
Following the emergence of the footage and the resulting public outcry, the Superintending Engineer of Ajmer Discom ordered Singh’s immediate suspension on Friday pending further inquiry .
Officials said a departmental investigation has been initiated to determine the sequence of events and whether other staff members followed improper instructions during the power shutdown.
The authorities indicated that further disciplinary action may be taken if additional officials are found to have been involved in the misuse of power supply operations.