A 23-year-old woman named Soundarya and her nine-month-old daughter Suviksha were burnt to death in Whitefield, Bengaluru on Sunday, November 19. The fatal accident occurred at 6 am near Hope Farm Junction when Soundarya accidentally stepped on a live electric wire belonging to the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM).
Sources at the BESCOM told TNM that the live wire associated with the F9 feeder had suffered a jump cut, causing a sudden interruption in the power supply. “Ordinarily, this should trigger an automatic tripping mechanism designed to ensure safety by disconnecting power during faults or abnormalities in the system,” he said.
A jump cut refers to an abrupt disruption in power supply, and automatic tripping mechanisms are critical safety features. These mechanisms, typically activated by protective devices like circuit breakers and relays, swiftly isolate faulty sections of the feeder, preventing extensive damage and maintaining the reliability of the power distribution network.
Sources said that the automatic tripping mechanism did occur as expected but a wire had loosened and fallen on the footpath (which the BESCOM wasn’t aware of until the incident came to light). Despite this potentially hazardous situation, power was inexplicably restored without checking for faulty wires “as there were no complaints from consumers in the area.”
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at Kadugodi police station against three BESCOM officials - Assistant engineer (Whitefield) Chetan, Junior engineer Rajanna, and station operator Manjunath under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 304A (causing death by negligence).