Discom officials booked for laxity as 3-year-old electrocuted to death

The police on Sunday booked officials of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) for negligence, which allegedly led to the death of a three-year-old boy

The police on Sunday booked officials of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) for negligence, which allegedly led to the death of a three-year-old boy who was electrocuted after coming in contact with a live wire in Khandsa on the Delhi -Jaipur Expressway, the police said.

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The incident took place around 1.30pm on January 30 at Khansa in Sector 37. The deceased, Aarav Sharma, came in contact with the high-tension cable while playing on the rooftop of his house, the police said. He was rushed to Civil Hospital in Sector 10 where doctors declared him dead.

The police investigation revealed that adequate precautions were not taken and safety measures were ignored. The incident could have been avoided, the police said. “The wires should not have been so close to the roof and there should have been a proper inspection, but despite repeated complaints no action was taken by DHBVN officials,” Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said.

The police said they are yet to identify the employees responsible for maintaining the cables in the area. “A report was sought from the DHBVN in this regard. “After it was revealed that the death was caused due to electric shock, we registered a case,” Sangwan said. “We are investigating to check who is responsible, after which further action will be taken,” Sangwan said.

The officials have been booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 304 (causing death by negligence) and 34 (common intention). A complaint in this regard was lodged by the father of the deceased boy, blaming three officials of the discom.

The police said the family and neighbours had stated that they would stage a protest on Monday at the DHVBN office if a case was not registered against those responsible for the death. After the incident, locals in the area alleged that low-hanging wires have been a problem in the colony for the last few years but their efforts to get these cables removed have been futile so far.

The DHBVN’s superintending engineer, Joginder Singh Hooda, said that the executive engineer of the department had visited the spot and submitted a report. “A room and a toilet had been illegally constructed in the house horizontally and vertically encroaching upon the road. The negligence on our part is that the official concerned should have sent a notice to the family to demolish the illegal construction. Action will be initiated against the official who has failed to perform his duty,” he said.