Islampur, Oct. 29: Assistant engineer of West Bengal State Electricity Board of Islampur Barun Biswas had gone to Bipri to monitor the setting up of electric poles. His visit, however, ended at the subdivisional hospital today.

Singled out from a team of seven, a mob of 60 descended on Biswas, beating and kicking him, and tearing off his clothes. The crowd then turned on his car, smashing the windshield and windows.

Biswas, who suffered head injuries, alleged that police officials watched silently as the he was attacked.

Power board officials said Biswas was supervising the work for a sub-station that would be set up at Lodhon.

?Police of Goalpokhor station (under whose jurisdiction Bipri comes) did nothing to help me,? he said from his hospital bed.

Seven power board employees, including assistant engineer of Raiganj M. Karmakar, were with him when the incident occurred.

Police officials said the ?gherao? had been planned by Jogeshwar Sharma, a Bipri resident whose daughter had been electrocuted in December 2002.

?Jogeshwar had demanded compensation for his daughter?s death and had filed the necessary papers. The money never reached him, so he and his neighbours gheraoed the assistant engineer today. I have received no reports of anyone attacking the official,? said Indrajit Kundu, the officer-in-charge of Goalpokhor police station.

Power board sources said 10-year-old Adina was electrocuted after stepping on a live wire while taking goats out to graze.

?Criminals had stolen electric wires one night and a live wire had been left dangling by them,? a source said.

Biswas said power officials had been facing a harrowing time working in the village after the death of the minor.

?I had personally urged subdivisional police officer Ujjal Bhowmik in writing to ensure our safety but he did not take it seriously,? Biswas said.

Bhowmik was not available for comment.

Expressing concern over the ?frequency of attack on electricity workers?, WBSEB chairman Sanjay Mitra said over phone from Delhi: ?I have asked the divisional engineer of Siliguri to take up the matter with the district authorities of North Dinajpur. We will not tolerate such incidents.?

District superintendent of police Ashok Kumar Dutta said he had ordered an inquiry .