Haryana: BJP leader held for assaulting discom officials

A BJP leader in Fatehabad district has been arrested for allegedly assaulting officials of the Dakshin Haryana BijliVitran Nigam after they raided his house over complaints of power theft, police said today.
Vijay Goyal, the secretary of the BJP's district unit, was arrested yesterday on charges of assault and criminal intimidation. He was later produced in a court which sent him to 14 days of judicial custody.
The electricity department officials led by Sub Divisional Officer Bhajan Singh had gone to Fatehabad town on Monday after receiving information about power theft in some houses.
When the team reached at Goyal's residence, they allegedly found that electricity was being stolen and the connection had been tampered with.

The officials started filming this on a mobile phone which apparently enraged the BJP leader, police said.
Goyal thrashed the officials following which they staged a demonstration, demanding his arrest and threatening to go on strike, they said.

The DHBVN also slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Goyal for stealing electricity.
However, before his arrest, Goyal rubbished the charges against him, calling them "baseless".
He claimed that the power department officials had tampered with the seal of his electricity meter which was installed outside his house.