A 22-year-old man in Bengaluru lost his life after he accidentally came in contact with a live wire that was left unattended and dangling on a tree. The tragic incident occurred in Sanjaynagar when 22-year-old Kishore and his friend were walking home on a footpath near the Children’s Park on Monday, April 25, and Kishore accidentally touched the wire. The police in Bengaluru have registered an FIR against telecommunications company Airtel as well as officials of the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) under charges of negligence.
The incident occured on Monday evening, when Kishore and his friend were heading home. The wire was dangling from a tree that was in the middle of the footpath and was left to coil up on the footpath. Kishore accidentally stepped on the wire and immediately collapsed. His friend and other bystanders tried to revive him, but he was unresponsive. Kishore was then rushed to Ramaiah hospital located nearby, where he was declared dead. Following Kishore’s death, his brother Sindhu filed a complaint with the police, saying that negligence by authorities led to Kishore’s death.
The police rushed to the spot soon after the incident, and ordered the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) to shut off electricity to the area as an immediate precautionary measure. An FIR has been lodged against the telecom company Airtel for leaving the live wire unattended on the road. The wire was reportedly set up by Airtel after finishing some work around the area, but officials never sealed the wire and left it dangling from the tree. After Kishore’s death, the wire has now been wound in a loose coil and stuck to the tree. The loose end of the wire has also been sealed with a tape.
Kishore hailed from Hoskote in Bengaluru Rural district, and had moved to Bengaluru city for work. He worked as a labourer at a construction site and lived in Bengaluru with his family of five. He was the sole breadwinner of the family, reports say. Following Kishore’s death, his family reportedly staged a protest in front of the BESCOM office in the area. This incident has also caused an uproar among Bengaluru residents as loose live wires are found dangling in many public spaces, and have proved fatal before as well.
In a similar incident last year in November, a 12-year-old boy who was playing at a BBMP playground near Vidyaranyapura lost his life after coming into contact with a live wire. The boy, Mani, was a Class 5 student, and his parents worked as daily wage labourers. As per reports, he was playing with his friends when their ball rolled away to the corner of the playground. When Mani went to retrieve it, however, he grazed the live wire, which killed him instantly.