Two employees were suspended and an inquiry ordered after videos of the elderly woman went viral
The Madhya Pradesh electricity department's drive to seize defaulters' motorbikes, cattle or tractors has run into trouble.
Two state government employees were suspended and an inquiry ordered after videos of an elderly woman running after officials and requesting them not to seize household items circulated on the internet.
Services of two contractual workers who were part of the exercise have been terminated.
The Madhya Pradesh Eastern Area Power Distribution Company Limited has started a drive to recover power dues worth Rs 518 crore by the end of this financial year.
Officials of the state electricity department have started seizing motorbikes, water pumps, tractors and even cattle from the homes of long-term power bill defaulters. Hundreds of villagers across the districts of Sagar, Damoh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Gwalior and Morena have received recovery notices. In many cases, vehicles have been seized.
On Saturday, a team of electricity department officials reached Rekha Ahirwar's home at Deori in Sagar district to recover power dues worth Rs 19,473. Rekha Ahirwar was not at home at the time and her elderly mother-in-law was taking a bath.
It is alleged that the officials entered their home and started taking away a bed and other household items.
The elderly woman said that she pleaded with the officials to not take away the items and also told them that they don't belong to Rekha Ahirwar, on whose name the power bills are issued. She alleged that despite her repeated appeals, the officials seized the household items. The woman said she couldn't even get properly dressed and ran after the officials taking away their furniture and other items.
Visuals of the elderly woman holding on to her clothes and running after the officials on the village streets have gone viral.
Facing criticism over the videos, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government swung into action, suspended two employees and ordered a probe.