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4 asst. linemen booked after electrician’s death on Sohna power pole
Family alleged the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam staff sent him up the pole without safety gear and lured him with job promises.
Four assistant linemen (ALMs) at Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) office in Sohna were booked for the “unnatural death” of a 31-year-old private electrician, who had climbed an electricity pole to repair power supplies in Silani village late Friday, police said.
The deceased, identified as Harpal, was allegedly lured by the officials to fix power supplies in exchange of money and a government job. Harpal was electrocuted in the process and collapsed on the ground, according to officials privy to the matter.
A police officer at Sohna Sadar police station said an FIR had been registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) after Harpal’s family filed a complaint on Saturday.
“The four ALMs — Rahul, Naveen, Naresh and Fateh Singh — who live in Sohna, were named by the victim’s family for not shutting off power supplies and sending Harpal for the repair work allegedly without any precautions or safety equipment,” the official said, requesting anonymity. No arrest has been made so far.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Harpal’s clothes caught fire when he was servicing the 11,000-volt line pole. He collapsed on the floor soon after.
Police said Harpal had been working with the ALMs for about two years. “Harpal’s family alleged that the linemen had promised him a permanent job multiple times,” an officer said, quoting from the complaint.
A senior official at DHBVN said that a departmental inquiry has been launched to examine the role of the officials. “We will soon make the inquiry findings public, and the utility will fully cooperate with the law enforcement agencies,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
According to investigators, Harpal’s body was sent for a post-mortem examination, and later handed over to his family on Sunday.
The officer added: “A separate FIR was registered against linemen union leader Usman Khan for pressurising Harpal’s family to hush up the matter by offering them bribes, and for making casteist slurs against them at Sohna city police station.”
Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said an investigation into the case is underway, and further action will be decided based on autopsy findings. “We are gathering evidence through nearby CCTVs and villagers’ testimonies to apprehend the ALMs.”
