LUCKNOW, July 28 -- Energy minister AK Sharma on Sunday ordered the immediate suspension of Basti superintending engineer Prashant Singh after an audio clip of a phone conversation with a consumer surfaced on social media, alleging inappropriate conduct. The conversation involved Singh and Bharat Pandey, a retired additional commissioner from Moodghat, Basti, over a local power outage. In the clip, Singh is heard making references to political figures, including Ramji Lal Suman, Raj Babbar, SP Singh Baghel, and Baby Rani Maurya, claiming them as his relatives or close friends. Following the viral clip, Sharma directed Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (PVVNL) managing director Shambhu Kumar to suspend Singh with immediate effect. During the suspension, Singh has been attached to the MD's office in Varanasi. A government spokesperson stated that the officer was prima facie found guilty of using inappropriate language, neglecting consumer grievances, and showing gross dereliction of duty. Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated. Minister Sharma said misbehaviour with consumers would not be tolerated, and warned that accountability would be enforced across all levels of the power department. "Low voltage, frequent tripping, unnecessary shutdowns, and unwarranted power cuts will no longer be accepted," Sharma added. He noted that while over Rs 26,000 crore has been invested in improving power infrastructure in the past three years, negligence by some employees continues to damage the department's reputation....