Woman, toddler, die of electrocution

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: In a tragic incident that unfolded early on Sunday, a 23-yearold woman and her nine month-old babygirl were electrocuted after the woman accidentally stepped on an unattended live electric wire near Hope Farm junction in the city.

The deceased were identified as Soundarya and her child Suviksha. According to sources, the woman along with her child and husband, Santosh Kumar, had just arrived from Tamil Nadu and were walking on the pavement towards their home in AK Gopal Colony in Kadugodi around 6 am.

The incident took place when the woman failed to notice the live wire dangerously lying on the pavement and stepped on it.

The jurisdictional police said that both the mother and child were electrocuted and succumbed to burns on the spot. Their luggage, a trolley bag, and other belongings were scattered at the scene.

Despite his efforts, Santosh Kumar was unable to save his wife and daughter who died on the spot. A few passers-by immediately informed the jurisdictional police who rushed to the spot and transported the bodies to a hospital.

A case of negligence was registered against three Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) officials at Kadugodi and they were summoned for an inquiry.

Later in the day, Karnataka Energy Minister KJ George announced that an inquiry was underway, and the lineman, Assistant Engineer (AE), and Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) were suspended for dereliction of duty.

The state government pledged Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each deceased. In a statement on social media, Minister George expressed condolences and assured tough action against anyone else found responsible.

He emphasized the government's commitment to preventing such incidents in the future.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Whitefield, Shivakumar Gunare said that based on the complaint filed by the victim’s husband Santosh Kumar, the cops registered a case under IPC Section 304(A) (causing death by negligence) at the Kadugodi Police Station.

He assured stringent action in the matter. Executive Engineer (EE) Sriram, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) Subramanya, Whitefield Assistant Engineer Chetan, Junior Engineer Rajanna, and BESCOM station operator Manju were detained following the incident, the sources added.