BENGALURU: A 23-year-old woman and her nine-month-old baby were electrocuted after they came in contact with a live wire in Kadugodi police limits in the city on Sunday morning. The incident occurred when the victim, Soundarya, and her husband Santhosh Kumar, residents of AKG Colony, were walking near Hope Farm Junction along with their baby Suviksha.
Dr Shivakumar Gunare, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield), said Soundarya was carrying Suviksha when she came in contact with the live wire around 6am. Santhosh Kumar, however, escaped after suffering a severe electric shock.
Sources in the Police Department said snapped optical fibre cables (OFC) on the footpaths in the area have not been cleared. Soundarya might have stepped on the live wire assuming it to be an OFC. The bodies have been shifted to Vydehi Hospital in Whitefield for postmortem, the police said.
One of their family members told TNIE that Santhosh Kumar was carrying their luggage while Soundarya was following him holding Suviksha in her arms. Soundarya and Suviksha got electrocuted when she brushed against a tree branch on which the live electric cable had fallen.
“Around five of our family members rushed to the junction. We saw the bodies of Soundarya and her baby burning. Passersby were busy recording the incident on their cellphones, but none rushed to help the victims nor called the police. We called the police, but they did not arrive till 7am. Eight police personnel and a water tanker arrived at the spot later,” Soundarya’s cousin sister Malleshwari said, adding that the bodies were charred beyond recognition.
“Soundarya was my only daughter. Kumar and Soundarya knew each other and they got married three years ago. She celebrated Suviksha’s first Deepawali at Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and was returning home to prepare for her second PU exam,” Soundarya’s mother Rajeshwari said. The Kadugodi police have registered a case of causing death by negligence against five Bescom employees.
Meanwhile, Bescom issued an order suspending the five staffers for dereliction of duty and issued show cause notices to two senior officers. The suspended employees are assistant executive engineer of E-4 Subdivision Subramanya T, assistant engineer of E-4 Subdivision Chetan S, junior engineer of E-4 Subdivision Rajanna, junior powerman Manjunath Revanna and lineman Basavaraju.
Min George announces Rs 5L compensation
Notices were issued to superintendent engineer of East Circle Lokesh Babu and executive engineer of Whitefield division Sriramu. In a press note, Bescom stated that F-9 (feeder) of the BPL feeder of Kadugodi tripped at 3.50am and the same was charged at 3.55am.
The victims came in contact with an 11KV snapped conductor that fell on the footpath near Hope Farm Junction and were electrocuted. Power Minister KJ George said that an inquiry has been ordered into the tragedy at Hope Farm Junction. The state government will give Rs 5 lakh each as compensation to the kin of the victims.