Minor crushed by DHBVN stockpile;officials booked

A senior police officer said that the boy was trapped beneath the transformers and a large group of residents gathered to free the child

Police have booked unidentified officials of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (DHBVN) after an allegedly illegal roadside stockpile of discarded transformers in Bajghera collapsed and crushed a 12-year-old boy, leaving him critically injured, police said on Tuesday.

A DHBVN official said that they will conduct a departmental inquiry into the incident to fix responsibility. (HT Photo)

The incident took place at 6.10pm on June 19 when the boy, Kunal Kumar, and his father Lalit Kumar were returning to their residence in Sarai Alavardi from the market. Following the collapse, the boy suffered fractures to his arms, legs and spine, and infection in internal organs due to the impact. He is being treated at a private hospital in Sector 51, police said.

A senior police officer said that the boy was trapped beneath the transformers and a large group of residents gathered to free the child. “He was immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment. Multiple surgeries have been carried out to fix the fractures in his limbs. His right elbow was completely crushed. He has also sustained severe injury in his spine below waist and has developed internal infection due to which he is unable to excrete,” the officer said.

Police said the discarded transformers, collected over the years from various locations, were stocked one above another along a public road near the DHBVN office in Sarai Alawardi.

Lalit Kumar, the victim’s father, said: “We had repeatedly alerted officials to remove the transformers. Residents had also submitted a petition to the New Palam Vihar subdivision office... they were encroaching on the road too but no action was ever taken.”

Rohit Madan, a lawyer representing the victim’s family, said they submitted a complaint to the Gurugram deputy commissioner’s office, seeking action against negligent officials and compensation for the victim. “Even after the victim’s statement was recorded, the FIR was registered after a few days and that too, only when I made multiple calls to the police,” he said.

Sandeep Kumar, public relations officer of the Gurugram police, said that they will serve notice to the DHBVN subdivisional office to help police pinpoint the errant officials. “Once discom submits the report, we will take action against those responsible for the incident,” he said.

Meanwhile, a DHBVN official said that they will conduct a departmental inquiry into the incident to fix responsibility. “Once identified, we will share details with the police soon. There are proper areas for storing transformers in every circle and division. They can’t be left anywhere,” the official said.

On the victim’s complaint, an FIR was registered against the discom officials under sections 125(a) (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 285 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Bajghera police station on Sunday.