11-year-old Bengaluru girl dies after being electrocuted by live power pole near home

Bengaluru police said the entire pole had become live due to a fault in the earthing system, worsened by a brief spell of rain.

An 11-year-old girl lost her life after being electrocuted by a live power pole near her home in a village close to Anekal, on the southern outskirts of Bengaluru, Deccan Herald reported. 

The case has been filed for death by negligence against the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM).

According to the report, the victim, Tanishka S, was a fifth-grade student at a private school in Narayanaghatta. According to the police, she was playing outside after school when she came into contact with a live power pole. 

Neighbours rushed to her aid after she collapsed, but she was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

Fault in earthing system

Police said the entire pole had become live due to a fault in the earthing system, worsened by a brief spell of rain, the report added. “The entire electric pole was live due to a technical fault with the earthing system. The situation was made worse by a brief spell of rain,” an investigating officer told Deccan Herald.

Tanishka’s father, Sampangi, works as a labourer, and her mother, Manjula, is a homemaker.

Based on a complaint filed by her family, the Surya City police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for death by negligence against the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) and the Public Works Department (PWD). A technical inspection of the site has been ordered to identify lapses. Further action will follow once the expert report is submitted.

This is not the first such tragedy in the city. A woman was electrocuted to death in Bengaluru’s Anandpura area near Chamrajpet in March triggering protests from angry residents over alleged civic negligence.

The victim, identified as Selvi, reportedly came into contact with an exposed electrical connection while attempting to collect water, police told news agency ANI.

Preliminary investigations suggested that electric cables running along the road may have been in contact with a nearby water pipeline, potentially causing the fatal accident.