The BMP residential quarters at Phulwarisharif. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Top Bihar Military Police officers on Sunday expressed their shock over the misdemeanour of some personnel on Saturday at a power sub-station after electricity connection to their quarters at Phulwarisharif was disconnected.

“I am shocked to learn that some personnel of the elite force went to the nearby power sub-station and forced the staff on duty to restore the power supply. The jawans were agitated over disconnection of electricity to their quarters on the BMP campus,” said Ajay Kumar Mishra, the deputy inspector-general (DIG) of Bihar Military Police (BMP).

Mishra said disconnection of power led to severe water crisis. “The occupants of the quarters faced a lot of hardships because of power and water crisis. But instead of going to the sub-station, the jawans should have approached the senior officers,” the DIG told The Telegraph.

A source in the BMP said the power supply to the quarters of the BMP personnel was snapped because of non-payment of electricity bill to the tune of Rs 5.14 crore. “The bills are paid by those living in the quarters and not by the police (home) department,” the source said, adding that the offices of the commandants of three battalions of the force and other officials are on the same campus.

The DIG parried questions on the coercive action initiated against the jawans for “misconduct” at a public place despite censuring the personnel. “We are trying to ascertain if the jawans had gone to the power sub-station or their relatives staying with them pestered the employees to restore the power supply,” he added.

Sources said a group of BMP jawans in mufti laid siege to the sub-station at Jagdeo Path and forced the employees on duty to restore the power supply, disconnected at the behest of senior officials of Patna Electric Supply Undertaking (Pesu). The jawans were so agitated that they even threatened the staff at the power sub-station with dire consequences and held them captive for about seven hours.

An official of the Pesu said lineman Raj Kishore and his assistant Lallu Prasad were taken hostage by the BMP personnel and assaulted when they visited the quarters to restore the power connection. The high voltage drama, which started at 3pm, continued till 10.30pm, the officer added.