Lucknow, May 30 -- Power employees and engineers across the state took to the streets to protest against the proposed privatisation of power services in 42 districts of Uttar Pradesh. The demonstrations, held during lunch hours, were organised under the call of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers. The protests erupted after reports surfaced that Grant Thornton, the transaction advisor appointed for the privatisation process, was allegedly given a clean chit despite accusations of submitting a false affidavit. According to the Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (U.P.), this move has raised suspicions of collusion between the state government and private firms. The union claims the privatisation push is being fast-tracked through improper means. Union leaders accused the Uttar Pradesh government of manipulating data to show inflated losses in the power distribution sector, citing these to justify the privatisation of Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam and Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam. Despite continuous protests over the past six months, employees say the government has refused to engage in any dialogue. Major demonstrations took place in key cities and power hubs including Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Mirzapur, Azamgarh, Basti, Ghaziabad, Noida, Bulandshahr, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Bareilly, Ayodhya, Sitapur, Sultanpur, Kanpur, Mathura, Aligarh, Banda, Jhansi, Anpara, Obra, Pipri, and others....