Joint forces have arrested five individuals in connection with protests by Comilla Palli Bidyut Samiti-1 officials and employees, who are accused of causing public suffering by cutting off electricity, engaging in anti-state activities, and destructive actions, with a case filed against 156 people.
Milton Ghosh, the executive engineer of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board, filed the case, naming six individuals and listing 150 unknown officials and employees as defendants on Friday.
Chandina police station Officer-in-Charge Nazmul Huda confirmed the information on Saturday.
The protests started on Thursday morning when officials and employees of Comilla Palli Bidyut Samiti-1 disconnected power supplies, causing severe hardship for millions of customers.
In the evening, during a second round of power disconnection, local residents surrounded the Chandina Palli Bidyut office.
At that time, joint forces intervened and arrested five officials and employees involved in the protest. They were later shown as arrested in the case and sent to Comilla Central Jail through the court.
The arrested individuals are Sahidul Islam, 26, Nur Mohammad, 28, Faisal Chowdhury, 37, Tanvir Ahmed, 33, and Mizanur Rahman Sagar, 30.
OC Nazmul Huda said the protesting officials and employees disconnected the power supply for six consecutive hours starting at 9:30am on Thursday, leaving millions of customers in four upazilas under the Samiti’s jurisdiction in distress.
Later, the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) and the police held discussions with the protesters and restored the electricity.
He added that after a second power disconnection that lasted over two hours in the evening, enraged locals surrounded the Comilla Palli Bidyut Samiti-1 office.
