Delhi: Siblings die, father hurt in electrocution

Police said the accident, caused by exposed wiring, unfolded as each family member attempted to save the other

Two siblings – aged 26 and 28 years old – died and their father was injured after they were all electrocuted at their home in northwest Delhi’s Begumpur on Tuesday night. Police said the accident, caused by exposed wiring, unfolded as each family member attempted to save the other.

Vivek Chauhan. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The deceased were identified as Vivek Chauhan, 26, and Anju Chauhan, 28. Their father, Kalicharan, 65, was critically injured. The family lived in Rajeev Nagar, where investigators found unsafe electrical wiring – including cables wrapped around the staircase grill.

“Vivek touched the iron bathroom gate and was the first to get electrocuted. Anju rushed to help and was also electrocuted. Kalicharan followed, trying to rescue them, and got shocked too,” said deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) Rajeev Ranjan.

The family’s eldest son, Vicky Chauhan, a 31-year-old security guard, said it had been raining heavily and water had seeped into the house. He suspects that contact between rainwater and exposed wiring — some of it, he said were possibly connected to external live wires — may have triggered the electrocution.

Neighbours who were present through the ordeal told HT that both siblings were stuck to the electrified gate for at least half an hour while everyone made frantic calls to the electricity department.

“We got to know about the incident after hearing commotion. It was continuously raining during the incident while both siblings struggled… We tried all we could but both the siblings laid there on the gate helpless, it took at least half an hour for the electricity of the area to cut off,” said Rakesh Chauhan, a neighbour.

A neighbour’s call to the police control room around 10.56pm warned that “three people are stuck” and pleaded for the power supply to be cut. However, locals said it took nearly 30 minutes for electricity officials to shut down power.

The bodies were sent to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital for postmortem. Inquest proceedings are underway.