Bangalore Electricity and Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) issued a show-cause notice to two of its officials and suspended five others for ‘dereliction of duties’ following an incident that resulted in the deaths of a woman and her nine-month-old daughter after they were struck by a live wire, officials confirmed on Monday.
The incident took place on Sunday at around 5.30 am when the victims, who had just arrived from Tamil Nadu, were walking home and accidentally stepped on a live electric wire lying on the pavement, as PTI reported.
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“In a non-departmental fatal electrical accident, Soundarya (23) and her daughter Leela came in contact with a live 11KV wire fallen on the footpath of Hope Farm Signal and got electrocuted on Sunday morning around 5:30 am,” a BESCOM statement said.
Their belongings, including a luggage trolley bag, were found scattered at the scene.
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According to the police, Soundarya and her baby girl Leela sustained fatal burn injuries upon coming into contact with the unattended live electric wire while walking home. Despite efforts from her husband Santosh Kumar to save the life of his wife and daughter, he was unable to prevent the tragedy.
Energy Minister K J George responded promptly to the accident, ordering the suspension of the officials involved, PTI reported.
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BESCOM took serious action against the five officials, suspending them, after a preliminary inquiry into the incident at the Kadugodi sub-division. They have urged for a comprehensive investigation to be carried out into the matter.
A case has been registered under Section 304 A of the Indian Penal Code for death due to negligence. The five BESCOM employees named in the FIR were arrested but later released on bail, as confirmed by the police.