Gaya, Jan. 19: Retaliating to the arrest of three businessmen for alleged power pilferage, some traders today beat up five Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) officials on Gautam Buddha Road.

The assaulted power board officials were on their way to office. The injured BSEB officials, including the head of the power board’s special task force to check power theft — Ashok Kumar, have been admitted to Anugrah Narayan Medical College and Hospital.

The businessmen having their establishments on Gautam Buddha Road, KP Road, Ramna Road and Bajaja Road called a daylong bandh today to protest against the alleged rigidity of the power board officials in levying fines on traders and forwarding them to police on charges of power theft. They took out a procession also in protest against the arrest of fabric trader D.K. Jain and two other businessmen — Mohammad Zafaruddin and Navin Kumar — on Tuesday.

The demonstrators spotted the vehicle of the BSEB officials near Gautam Buddha Road around 12.30pm and went berserk. They intercepted the vehicle and beat up the officials.

Ashok, who had arrived from Patna for supervising the drive against power theft, sustained injury in the head. BSEB executive engineer D.K. Chaudhary was also among the injured officials, said Gaya circle general manager Om Prakash. The vehicles were damaged too. An FIR would be lodged in this connection, Prakash added.

According to BSEB sources, the power load on the meter at Jain’s establishment was 8kW but he was consuming more. Jain countered that he only used 7kW power.

Bihar Rajya Mishthanna Vyawsayi Sangh vice-president Laljee Prasad told The Telegraph that although the 68-year-old Jain deposited Rs 2.54 lakh as fine, he was arrested.

Akhil Bharatiya Vaishya Mahasammelan’s Gaya district president Rajesh Bali has submitted a six-point memorandum to Prakash, demanding penalty and FIR should not be simultaneously slapped on the businessmen.