Thrissur: Thrissur: A power outage just before the Argentina-England World Cup semi-final in the early hours of Thursday allegedly triggered a violent attack on a Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) office in Thrissur district, as public anger over electricity disruptions continued to mount amid the State's worsening power crisis.

The incident took place at the KSEB's 33 kV substation and section office in Annamanada, near Mala, around midnight on Wednesday, shortly before the match kicked off in the early hours of Thursday. Football fans, frustrated by the outage, reportedly tried contacting the KSEB office but did not receive a response. A group then allegedly entered the office, vandalised property and assaulted employees.

Reports also suggested that residents in some other parts of Kerala staged protests at KSEB offices over power cuts during World Cup matches, reflecting growing public frustration as electricity restrictions coincided with one of the year's most-watched sporting events.

Employee injured, CCTV footage under investigation

The group allegedly damaged office furniture, computers and other official equipment. Employees who attempted to intervene, including a sub-engineer and a lineman, were reportedly assaulted.

Nithin, a temporary KSEB employee at the 33 kV substation, sustained injuries in the attack and was admitted to a private hospital in Mala.

CCTV footage from the substation, which has surfaced, allegedly shows a group of youths assaulting Nithin with a wooden stick. Mala police have registered a case and are examining the footage as part of the investigation.

Kerala's power shortage fuels public frustration

The incident comes as Kerala faces a severe electricity shortage due to rising demand, weak monsoon rainfall and declining hydropower reservoir levels.

Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph has said the state is facing a 500-600 MW power deficit, with demand increasing to 4,600-4,800 MW this July from 3,500-3,600 MW during the same period last year. Kerala generates only about 30% of its electricity requirement, largely through hydropower, making it particularly vulnerable to poor rainfall.

Reservoir storage has dropped to 29%, compared with 60% at the same time last year. The State is also returning electricity borrowed from other States under swap agreements until September 15.

The government has introduced limited power restrictions and urged industries and households to reduce electricity consumption during evening peak hours.

The Opposition CPM has criticised the government over frequent power cuts. However, load restrictions had already been introduced by KSEB rd during the previous CPM-led LDF government's tenure, before the UDF assumed office.