Alcoholic man climbs electric pole, gets electrocuted

NT Correspondent

Kolegal: On Tuesday, a tragic incident occurred involving a 27-year-old man named Masanashetti from Madhuvanahalli village, who lost his life while attempting to climb a high-tension electric pole near Linganapur village. Masanashetti, who struggled with alcohol addiction and had not yet married, was working as a bar bender and had been pressuring his parents to arrange his marriage. They consistently responded, "Stop drinking, and we will find you a bride," which led to ongoing conflicts within the household. In the days leading up to the incident, he exhibited erratic behaviour due to this turmoil.

On the morning of the tragedy, Masanashetti left his home and ascended a high-tension pole situated in a nearby field. The land owner noticed him and promptly alerted the police. Local police, along with fire brigade and electricity department personnel, quickly arrived at the scene to convince Masanashetti to descend. During this time, he expressed a desire to see his mother. When his mother, Siddhrajamma, arrived, he disregarded the pleas of those present and called out to her, "Mother, mother, I’m coming down, hold on." Tragically, he then grabbed the electricity line and was instantly electrocuted. At the time of the incident, power transmission through the high-tension wires had been halted.

However, the residual electrical charge was sufficient to cause this unfortunate accident. Following the incident, local electricity staff retrieved his body from the pole and shifted it to the government mortuary for a post-mortem. The body was later handed over to his family. A case has been filed at the local police station.