An incident from Andhra Pradesh has come to light where a Scheduled Tribe man’s electricity connection was allegedly cut by electricity department officials over his resistance to get converted to Christianity.
The incident that is said to have happened in Erukulapaka village of Badangi mandal in Vizianagaram district, was reported in Prajasakthi newspaper, published by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
Palavarasa Gowru, a Scheduled Tribe (ST) resident who happens to be an elected Mandal/Taluk representative of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), has lodged a complaint with higher officials of the Electricity Department, against an alleged act of attempted Christian conversion by one of its employees.
Gowru stated that his house and poultry farm have been without electricity since October 15, when his electricity meter was disconnected from the main grid. Apart from this modern-day inconvenience for more than two weeks now, he has lost 60 hens on account of the power cut, causing him financial difficulty. He has gone on record stating that he suspects his electricity meter was disconnected abruptly and without the usual notice period, because he had been refusing aggresive conversion attempts by a man who was recently transferred to his Mandal, named Jayaraju.
Jayaraju, a junior accounts officer in the state electricity department, had allegedly tried several times to convert Gowru to Christianity but Gowru had refused to do so. Gowru claims that his neighbour and himself were picked on and their electricity metres were disconnected because of their refusal to convert.
Gowru mentioned that his current home had been purchased in 2016 with an electricity metre attached to it. It was all fine till February 2020, when he was surprised to receive a bill for ₹27,000. He approached the electricity department, which replaced the faulty metre with a new one. At the time of replacement, he was not told that he was required to clear the unreasonable amount, caused by a faulty metre. Besides, he had always paid a subsidised rural residential and farm bill, because he belonged to the scheduled tribe (ST).
Recently, more than two years after the faulty metre incident and suspiciously, after he had been asked to convert by the newly transferred junior officer, Jayaraju, his meter has been disconnected without prior notice.
Gowru has lodged a complaint with the higher authorities and requested action against Jayaraju but the current Asisstant Engineer (AE), Tentu Srinivas Rao, has stated that electricity supply for Gowru and four others has been halted, on account of unpaid bills. Gowru insists, the real reason is the conversion attempt.
He has also lodged a complaint with the Andhra Pradesh police who reportedly haven’t registered an FIR as a result of which he has approached the state Human Rights Commission on Monday (November 7, 2022).
Gowru has also stated that he would be moving the Andhra Pradesh High Court as well.
Heights of Conspiracy, Religious Intolerance & Hatred!
Power supply was disconnected for refusing to convert to Christianity. Victim is village & community head belonging to Erukula community comes under ST category
Place: Erukulapaka, Badangi Mandal, Vizianagaram Dist, AP pic.twitter.com/jDt0AQTb6z
— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) November 7, 2022
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