Noida: A late-night argument over a power outage at Ecovillage-1 in Greater Noida West turned violent around Thursday midnight when maintenance staff allegedly assaulted residents with sticks, leaving several of them injured. Four staffers of the maintenance agency were arrested.The incident occurred when seven of 48 towers in the complex, housing over 4,500 residents, lost power around midnight because of an internal transformer problem. The affected buildings — A1 to A4, B1, B2, and D2 — were particularly vulnerable as many residents, especially in Tower A with predominantly 1BHK flats, hadn’t opted for power backup due to high charges.The confrontation began when residents gathered in the society compound around midnight to question the power cut. When Jeevan, a resident, approached the maintenance staff for answers, he was allegedly told power would not be restored that night. This led to an argument as residents sought answers. The situation quickly escalated when staff members allegedly began assaulting him and other residents who had gathered there.“Some people from Tower A2 had gone to the maintenance office post-midnight to enquire about the restoration of power. This led to a tussle. Some bouncers were called, who attacked the residents along with the society’s own guards,” said Shesh Mani Singh of Tower A1.Footage sourced from cameras in the society compound shows a maintenance worker attacking a resident on a bike with a long stick. The clip also captures heated exchanges between staff and residents. Even women were attacked with sticks, the footage showed. The altercation continued into the early hours of Friday — even after a police team arrived in the society after being informed about the clash.Jeevan suffered grievous injuries, with wounds to the chest, arms, back, and leg. His wife later alleged that despite promises of medical reports being filed, police officials made them wait unnecessarily and eventually directed them to a private hospital instead of a govt facility.The four maintenance staffers who were arrested were Ravindra (33) from Bisrakh, Sohit (30) of Badalpur, Sachin Kuntal (27) from Sector 49, and Vipin Kasana (27) of Jarcha. “Following a complaint from residents, we have arrested four men involved in the case. Further investigation is underway,” a police spokesperson said, adding that an FIR was being registered under relevant sections of BNS.Manu Tyagi, the society’s chief estate manager, remained unavailable for comment despite multiple attempts to reach him.Later, on Friday evening, the power went off again due to an internal fault. The society maintenance issued a notice saying “the transformer ACB (air circuit breaker) in the LT (low tension) panel of Tower A4 was damaged and is currently under repair. Due to this maintenance work, there will be a power shutdown from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM today. During this time, the power supply will be affected in the following towers: Tower B1, B2 and A1. Please note that DG (Diesel Generator) backup and lift services will also not be available during this period. We regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding and cooperation”.
