Contractual power staff assaulted during meter-reading visit in Indira Nagar
Two contractual employees of the electricity department were allegedly assaulted and one sustained dog-bite injuries when they visited a house to record meter consumption in Indira Nagar, under Hazira police station limits in Gwalior, police said on Friday.
The incident occurred on Thursday, August 13, when the two staff members had gone to generate a bill by recording power units at a lane in Indira Nagar, the office of the Superintendent of Police, Gwalior, Dharm Vir Singh, said. According to the FIR and police statements, an argument over the bill escalated after which the homeowner, identified as Beeru Tomar, allegedly unleashed three pet dogs on the workers.
One of the employees, named in the FIR as Ravindra Singh Rajawat, suffered about five wounds from the attack. The dogs were described in the complaint as of Rottweiler, Pitbull and German Shepherd breeds. Rajawat said his colleague, Aditya Bhadoriya, managed to call co-workers, and was able to escape the animals, but Rajawat was bitten when the accused returned and released the dogs on him.
“He slapped me and started abusing us when we were checking power meters in his lane… When my colleague intervened, he unleashed the dogs behind him,” Rajawat said, according to the FIR.
Superintendent of Police Dharm Vir Singh told reporters the accused has previous criminal cases and was arrested following the complaint. The FIR records allegations that Tomar both assaulted the employees and threatened them by brandishing a firearm to prevent them from returning to the area.
Tomar has been booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections relating to negligent conduct with respect to animals and other offences, the police said.
- Location: Indira Nagar area, Hazira police station limits, Gwalior district.
- Victims: Two contractual electricity department employees; one sustained dog-bite injuries (about five wounds).
- Accused: Beeru Tomar, arrested; reportedly has prior criminal cases.
- Animals involved: Three pet dogs (Rottweiler, Pitbull, German Shepherd, as per FIR).
| BNS Sections | Recorded in FIR |
|---|---|
| 115(2) | Listed in FIR |
| 127(2) | Listed in FIR |
| 291 | Listed in FIR |
| 296(2) | Listed in FIR |
| 324(4) | Listed in FIR |
| 351(3) | Listed in FIR |
Police said one of the charges includes provisions related to negligent conduct with respect to animals. The specific factual allegations in the FIR also assert that the accused brandished a gun during the confrontation, threatening the meter readers to prevent their return.
The arrest and registration of the case followed after the complaint by the injured employee. Authorities have not reported any life-threatening injuries; the SP said there was no serious injury despite the wounds described by the victim. Further legal proceedings will follow as the case moves through the magistracy and police investigation.
The episode raises broader concerns about the safety of field staff from public utilities who routinely enter residential localities to perform statutory work such as meter readings and billing. Contractual employees in many cities perform frontline tasks and often lack permanent postings or dedicated security arrangements. Incidents of confrontation over bills or access to meters can hamper municipal services and pose risks to workers.
Residents and civic authorities in Gwalior may expect follow-up action from the electricity department to review staff safety protocols during field duties, and from municipal bodies or animal-control agencies on the regulation of large guard dogs in populated lanes, given the breeds involved and the reported injuries. Hazira police are handling the investigation and further details will emerge as the probe proceeds.
