Balasore: A junior engineer of North Eastern Electricity Supply Company of Odisha Limited (Nesco) faced the wrath of agitated farmers at Bhograi on Friday when he went there to snap connections to the lift irrigation points of defaulters.

The farmers manhandled and detained Madan Mohan Sahu till police arrived and rescued him. Superintendent engineer Braja Sundar Parida said an FIR would be lodged.

He said Nesco had installed a 64KV transformer at Tangeramari village to supply power to both domestic consumers and 11 lift irrigation points. But, the transformer got defunct because of over-heating. Two days ago, the department had made the transformer serviceable after collecting the electricity dues.

While eight of the farmers had paid the pending dues, three did not. The farmers, who had paid the dues, objected against power supply to the defaulters.

Sahu went to the village to snap connection of three defaulters, who objected it.

When there was heated exchange of words among them, one of the defaulters, Haripada Das of Mahinsamunda village, set his Rabi crop field on fire alleging that he suffered crop loss because of the absence of water supply from the left irrigation point.

Amidst tension, Sahu faced the farmers' wrath.

"The eight farmers, who had cleared electricity dues, objected the supply to other three defaulters. There was scuffle among them when Sahu arrived there. In the melee, he was beaten up," said Parida.

Bhograi police station inspector-in-charge Ramkumar Murmu said: "Sahu, who was in the custody of enraged villagers, was rescued by the police. No complaint has been received from any end. Action will be taken after receipt of compliant."

On the other hand, villagers said Sahu had confronted the villagers when they were protesting against non-fulfilling of their demand for upgradation of the transformer capacity from 64KV to 100KV.

"As the transformer was getting burnt because of overloading, demand was made for its capacity enhancement. They caught hold of Sahu when he visited the transformer point," said a villager.