MEERUT: More than 1,400 FIRs have been filed under Section 135 of the Indian Electricity Act for power theft in Sambhal, implicating various individuals and institutions, including Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Ziaur Rahman Barq, 16 mosques, and two madrassas in the seven weeks since violence erupted in Sambha on Nov 24 during a court-ordered survey at the Shahi Jama Masjid in the city’s Sadar Tehsil area. It had resulted in five deaths and several injuries.
Authorities have since intensified efforts to identify and penalise illegal power connections across the district and the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has imposed fines totaling Rs 11 crore, of which Rs 20 lakh has already been collected.
During inspections, officials said they discovered an illegal power setup on the roof of the Ladaniya Mosque, allegedly supplying electricity to nearly 100 homes. Sambhal SM Rajender Pensiya and SP Police Krishan Kumar Bishnoi led the early morning raid, uncovering electricity theft in 20 homes and four religious sites. Cases have been filed against the accused, with potential charges under the Gangster Act if it is found that fees were collected for the illicit power supply.
Barq is among those accused, with power theft allegedly detected at premises linked to him. A fine of Rs 1.9 crore was imposed on him after the electricity department deemed that his response to the notice served to him was unsatisfactory. The department granted an additional week for compliance, warning of recovery proceedings if issues remain unresolved. Barq’s father, Mamluk Ur Rahman Barq, was also charged for allegedly threatening officials during the inspection.
Vinod Kumar Gupta, superintendent engineer of Pashchimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL), the West UP arm of the UP discom, confirmed the drive against “power theft” and said: “Yes, over 1,400 cases have been registered so far.”
Responding to the allegations in Dec, Ziaur Rahman Barq had said on social media, “To what extent will boundaries be crossed to stop the fight for truth and justice? Those who created false reports and defamed me, the people of the country and the world are watching. Whatever injustice happened on Nov 24 in Sambhal, all this is being done to distract from it… The false case will be answered legally, and the truth will come out before everyone.”
(With inputs from Asif Ansari in Bareilly)
Authorities have since intensified efforts to identify and penalise illegal power connections across the district and the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has imposed fines totaling Rs 11 crore, of which Rs 20 lakh has already been collected.
During inspections, officials said they discovered an illegal power setup on the roof of the Ladaniya Mosque, allegedly supplying electricity to nearly 100 homes. Sambhal SM Rajender Pensiya and SP Police Krishan Kumar Bishnoi led the early morning raid, uncovering electricity theft in 20 homes and four religious sites. Cases have been filed against the accused, with potential charges under the Gangster Act if it is found that fees were collected for the illicit power supply.
Barq is among those accused, with power theft allegedly detected at premises linked to him. A fine of Rs 1.9 crore was imposed on him after the electricity department deemed that his response to the notice served to him was unsatisfactory. The department granted an additional week for compliance, warning of recovery proceedings if issues remain unresolved. Barq’s father, Mamluk Ur Rahman Barq, was also charged for allegedly threatening officials during the inspection.
Vinod Kumar Gupta, superintendent engineer of Pashchimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL), the West UP arm of the UP discom, confirmed the drive against “power theft” and said: “Yes, over 1,400 cases have been registered so far.”
Responding to the allegations in Dec, Ziaur Rahman Barq had said on social media, “To what extent will boundaries be crossed to stop the fight for truth and justice? Those who created false reports and defamed me, the people of the country and the world are watching. Whatever injustice happened on Nov 24 in Sambhal, all this is being done to distract from it… The false case will be answered legally, and the truth will come out before everyone.”
(With inputs from Asif Ansari in Bareilly)
