DHENKANAL: A solar fence meant to keep elephants at bay turned fatal for a 50-year-old woman, who was electrocuted to death at Bedapada Ragudisahi village under Rasol police limits in Hindol on Monday.
The solar fence was allegedly charged by an 11-kV power line when the victim, identified as Upama Behera, wife of Akula Behera, came in its contact. The incident occurred around 8 am when Upama, who had gone to a neighbouring village for some work, touched the fence erected around a paddy field owned by Abhaya Samal.
The fencing was reportedly installed to prevent elephant herds from entering the field and damaging crops.
Villagers who spotted Upama rushed her to Dhenkanal district headquarters hospital, where doctors declared her dead. Rasol police sent the body for postmortem and registered a case of unnatural death.
Police are now probing how the solar fence came to be charged with an 11-kV electricity line and whether negligence was involved.
Rasol IIC Biswaranjan Mahanty said, “We have registered an unnatural death case and launched an investigation into how the fencing was charged and the possible involvement of the owner of the paddy field. We will file a case if something wrong is found.” Hindol forest range officer Trilochan Dehury said the Forest department would conduct an inquiry and take up the matter with the Energy department.