5 students electrocuted trying to remove flag in Karnataka’s Koppal

District administration officials have registered a case against the hostel owner, warden and a local official of the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company (GESCOM).

Five high school students who were apparently trying to remove the national flag from the top of a hostel building at Bannikatte in Koppal died after being electrocuted. Koppal is located 350 kilometres northwest of the state capital Bengalauru.

The five students who were electrocuted, were residents of the Devraj Urs hostel in the city. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The five students who were residents of the Devraj Urs hostel in the city were trying to remove the flag which was hoisted for the Independence Day celebrations. However, since the pole on which the flag had been hoisted had come in contact with a live wire, the five students were immediately electrocuted. The privately run hostel, hosted students who studied in nearby schools. The deceased have been identified as Basvaraj, Devraj, Ganesh, Kumar and Mallikarjun.

District administration officials have registered a case against the hostel owner, warden and a local official of the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company (GESCOM). Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa who has ordered an investigation into the death of the students also announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh would be released to the family members of each of the deceased.