Saurabh Narayan Singh (in kurta) and his supporters outside Muffasil police station in Hazaribagh on Sunday. (Vishvendu Jaipuriar)

Hazaribagh, July 24: Sadar MLA Saurabh Narayan Singh was today arrested along with 26 supporters when he tried to forcibly start operations at a JSEB substation at Kewalu in Daru village under Muffasil police station.

Police released Singh and his supporters at noon.

According to officer in charge of Muffasil police station Sujeet Kumar, the Congress legislator was arrested to prevent any untoward incident and for threatening to force start the substation, which was yet to be inaugurated.

Singh told The Telegraph that he met villagers of Daru and neighbouring areas this morning and heard complaints of erratic power supply. “Villagers told me that there was widespread load shedding in the area with power cuts for not less than four hours everyday at 6 in the evening. Children also complained of problems while studying because of power cuts in the evening,” he said.

Singh said its operations were unnecessarily being delayed although the foundation stone for the substation had been laid by then chief minister Madhu Koda over three years ago.

The MLA, accompanied by villagers, walked up to the substation and tried to barge inside. But Daru block development officer Rupesh Kumar Sinha and the Muffasil police officer intercepted him. They told him that the substation was in its final stages of completion and not ready for inauguration.

Once it starts functioning, the Kewalu substation is expected to supply power to Daru, Tatijharia and Churchu.

Singh alleged that he was arrested although he was agitating peacefully.

“Congress MLAs are being targeted in Jharkhand. Earlier this year, Yogendra Sao (Barkagaon) and Mannan Mallick (Dhanbad) were also wrongfully arrested,” he said, adding, “If we can’t take up issues concerning road and electricity, what we can do as MLAs and MPs?”

Singh also took a dig at Hazaribagh MP Yashwant Sinha, without naming him, saying that a local political heavyweight was responsible for the delay in inauguration of the substation.