Bhubaneswar, Aug 7: He was upset with the 'unreasonable' and 'excess ' electricity bill. He did question the meter reading agent engaged by Tata Power Southern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPSODL). The two had exchanged in a verbal duel earlier.
On Monday, it was action replay again. Irked with the 'excess' electric bill, he once again targeted the meter-reading agent engaged by TPSODL. The two had a severe exchange of words.
But in a fit of rage, the consumer Gobinda Sethy of Kupati village under Tarasingi PS in Odisha's Ganjam district launched a fatal attack on the meter-reading agent Laxmi Narayan Tripathy, sources said.
Bleeding profusely, Tripathy cried for help and a few villagers did rush to rescue him. However, trying to dissuade Sethy from turning more violent, one of the villagers Rinky Nayak even had to bear the brunt of his (Sethy's) wrath and was injured badly.
While Tripathy succumbed to his injuries, the wounded villager Nayak was rushed to a nearby hospital. Finally, a few villagers did manage to overpower Sethy and he was later arrested by the cops, sources added.
The deceased Tripathy belonged to the nearby Gallery village. His fellow meter-reading agents staged a protest with his body. They demanded compensation for Tripathy's family and a job for one of his family members. Since no one from Tata Power reached the spot till this report was filed, the village was highly tense. The local police were trying to pacify the protestors and send the body for post-mortem, sources added.
