The incident took place at around 1.30 a.m on October 13. According to a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) spokesman, Verma's supporters, agitated by the news of his ouster, gathered at Bawana in the dead of the night. They then proceeded to systematically cut a section of the bank of the canal, in an effort to disrupt the water supply to the capital.

According to a senior official of the Haryana Irrigation Department: ``We received the information at 2.35 am, but by that time the damage was already done. They had managed to cut a section of the bank. What saved us was the fact that the bank is lined with cement blocks and quick action by our officers. They got some labourers from the adjoining village and by six in the morning, the breach was plugged.'' He added that it seemed like a well-thought out plan, as they had effected the breach in such a way that the water would have flowed into a drain called the Bawana Escape and would not have flooded the fields. ``It was clear from the way it had been damaged that the miscreants wanted to disrupt water supply to the city. If we had not have reached the spot immediately, the damage would have been immense,'' he said.

Later in the morning, DJB officials were also informed and a copy of the report was sent to both the Haryana Government and the DJB Chief Executive Officer Baleshwar Rai.

The DJB spokesman added that they had informed the Lieutenant Governor. A case has been registered, however no arrests could be made as the miscreants had fled by the time police reached the spot.