Eighty rural electricity cooperatives in Bangladesh have sought police protection for their offices and grid substations amid fears of attacks linked to worsening load shedding. The Bangladesh Rural Electrification Association sent a letter to the inspector general of police on Wednesday, citing rising public anger over supply disruptions caused by an energy shortage and severe heat.

The association said electricity generation has been disrupted relative to demand, reducing supply nationwide, especially in rural areas served by the cooperatives. It said some substation offices had already faced attacks. Rural electricity cooperatives serve about 40 million of the country’s 52 million customers, or 80 percent, and distribute about 60 percent of generated electricity. The group stressed that the cooperatives do not generate power; they supply electricity based on allocations.

Over recent days, average demand from the cooperatives was about 8,000 to 9,000 megawatts, while average allocations were only 5,000 to 6,000 megawatts, the association said. It reported daily outages of eight, 10 or 12 hours in some places. The letter requested instructions to local law-enforcement agencies to strengthen security at every cooperative’s grid substations and offices.