New Delhi: Protests against smart electricity meters installed by Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited intensified in parts of Uttar Pradesh and villagers were seen turning violent on Friday morning.
Protest turns violent
Hundreds of residents allegedly uprooted newly installed smart meters from their homes and piled them up at a common spot and they raised slogans against the electricity department. The protest soon escalated as more villagers joined in. They expressed anger over what they claimed were inflated and irregular power bills after the installation of the devices, Dainik Jagran reported.
Locals said that repeated complaints about overcharging and billing discrepancies have gone unresolved. This had fuelled resentment against the authorities. Women and other residents later gathered near a pond close to a local temple and planned a march through the market towards the power station to continue their protest.
Akhilesh slams UP govt
Reacting to the developments, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav shared a video on X, accusing the BJP government of running a “corrupt racket” in the power sector. He alleged that technology was being misused to overcharge consumers through prepaid smart meters, and warned that public anger could escalate further.
In a post on X, he wrote, ” The BJP government has been running a corrupt racket in electricity, misusing technology to loot the public under the guise of prepaid meters. Now, the public has caught their theft. This time, smart meters are being smashed; next time, EVMs.”