NEW DELHI: Farmers did not have legal electricity connections at the protest sites and if police disconnected them, they were acting to enforce the law, said Union power minister RK Singh on Saturday.
Slamming the Congress party for questioning the government for cutting off the supply of electricity and water to the protest sites, Singh said, “Congress should explain whether those farmers had legal connections of electricity.”
“Did these people (protesting farmers) take any permanent connection? If not, then they were stealing the electricity and electricity theft is a crime under the law,” Singh told ANI.
He further said that if the police disconnected the electricity, they were acting to enforce the law.
“People who stole electricity are liable to be prosecuted,” he added.
The electricity connection at the protest sites was disconnected after the violence during the farmers’ tractor rally on January 26.
Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.