Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Villagers Stage Symbolic Funeral of Minister Over Power Cuts
People who live in a village called Sirsaud were very unhappy because their electricity kept going off.
The lights would go out for a very long time, and nobody seemed to fix it.
So the villagers decided to hold a pretend funeral, a little like a play, to show how upset they were.
In their play, the villagers made believe that the energy minister, the person in charge of electricity, was no more.
They walked from a temple to a road while carrying the pretend funeral.
They also stayed quiet and took a bath next to a water pump as part of the protest.
The villagers said the power went out for almost ten hours after an engineer promised to make things better.
Meanwhile, a young man shared a post online saying the minister had died, but that was not true.
The minister was safe and getting treatment at a hospital in Delhi.
The police told everyone to check news before sharing it online, and the villagers warned that their protest would get bigger if the power cuts did not stop.
Villagers in Shivpuri staged a symbolic funeral procession of Energy Minister Pradhuman Singh Tomar over prolonged power cuts.
The mock procession began at Ram Raja Temple and reached the Sirsaud-Pichhore road, where symbolic last rites were performed.
Villagers said power was disrupted for nearly 10 hours despite a junior engineer's assurance that load shedding would be reduced.
Police booked youth Saurabh Bhargava for a fake Facebook post falsely claiming the minister had died.
Police said the minister was undergoing treatment at a hospital in New Delhi at the time.
- Who
- Villagers of Sirsaud village in Shivpuri district; Madhya Pradesh Energy Minister Pradhuman Singh Tomar; police and youth Saurabh Bhargava.
- What
- A symbolic funeral procession protesting prolonged power cuts, and an FIR against a youth for a fake social media post claiming the minister's death.
- When
- Wednesday (reportedly July 29, 2026), following a road blockade earlier on Monday.
- Where
- Sirsaud village, Karera Assembly constituency, Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- Long and frequent power cuts with no resolution despite assurances from the electricity department.
Villagers' View
Authorities' View
Power cuts
Villagers' View
Villagers say power supply remains disrupted for long periods despite assurances, forcing them to hold repeated protests.
Authorities' View
The electricity department, through a junior engineer, assured that the problem would be resolved and load shedding would be reduced.
Social media post
Villagers' View
The protest drew attention to the villagers' grievances, with some sharing the symbolic funeral online.
Authorities' View
Police say the post falsely claimed the minister had died and registered a case for spreading rumours and disturbing public peace.
- Location
- Sirsaud village, Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh
- Protest
- Symbolic funeral procession of Energy Minister Pradhuman Singh Tomar
- Route
- Ram Raja Temple to Sirsaud-Pichhore road
- Earlier protest
- Road blockade for nearly three hours on Monday
- Power disruption
- Nearly 10 hours after engineer's assurance of reduced load shedding
- FIR
- Registered at Amola police station against Saurabh Bhargava
- Minister's status
- Undergoing treatment at a hospital in New Delhi