With the heatwave gripping Uttar Pradesh even tighter, the people of Jhansi are grappling with the unbearable mix of soaring temperatures and constant power outages. This two-pronged crisis not only interrupted everyday life but also led to drastic action by residents, along with growing demands for accountability.
With erratic power supply for more than a month, rage has mounted quickly. Hundreds of locals marched out onto the streets, holding a dharna to express their outrage over the prolonged power outages and the alleged lack of action by the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL). Protesters insisted on immediate action by the authorities.
Among the most shocking images to surface during the crisis is a video of Jayanti Kushwaha and three of her sons: 10, 14, and 16 years old—taking shelter in an ATM kiosk. With fans and lights operating within, the kiosk provided the only available respite from the blistering heat.
Watch:
In UP’s Jhansi, locals struggling with massive power cuts for the past month have now sought refuge at an ATM. pic.twitter.com/hszYyc67pN
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) May 20, 2025
We are here because, at least, there is power here. Where will we go? We are not getting electricity during night or morning hours. So I, my entire family, are resting here to find some relief from the heat,” Jayanti explained in a media interaction.
She also said, “No one from the electricity department visited us to inform us about the actual situation. Therefore, we are here at the ATM. We will not sleep on the streets along with the kids, that is why we are residing in an ATM with the kids.”
Social Media Reactions
The incident has stirred up outrage on the internet. Twitter and Facebook users have denounced UPPCL for mismanagement and unpreparedness, calling it “corrupt and incompetent.
“UP Power department (UPPCL) is most corrupt and inefficient department… Must be privatised completely,” one user wrote. Another repeated, “If there is any department whose corruptness is most in Uttar Pradesh, then it is electricity department. It must be privatised right away.”
Others emphasized the brutal truth of the power crisis. “This is correct. Huge power cut, particularly during the day for hours on end, make it extremely hard to remain in UP and endure the hot summer; lots of poor people and animals succumb to heat stroke,” wrote one individual.
Some others wondered about the intentions of the people taking cover inside the ATM, wondering if it would be a publicity stunt. Yet others sympathized with the plight of the unprivileged in the scorching heat, realizing that the ATM was a scarce refuge from the sun.
As a reaction to the furore, Congress leader and former Union minister Pradeep Jain also joined the protest on May 18. He and party workers encircled the office of Mohammad Saghir, the chief engineer of electric distribution, for seven hours. Saghir said the outages were caused by excessive power load and confirmed that efforts were being made to stabilise the supply, as reported by The Times of India.
