Student grabs iron board trying to avoid water puddle, electrocuted
NEWDELHI: An 18-year-old student of a pilot training academy died of electrocution when he grabbed a live iron signage almost sticking to an electric pole while trying to avoid rainwater puddles in west Delhi’s Dwarka on Wednesday, police said. Three of his classmates received electric shocks trying to save him.
The three injured students, all aged between 18 and 20, narrowly escaped because of a policeman, who used his taekwondo training to separate them the “illegally erected” board.
The iron board that acted as the conductor was right next to an electric pole. The BSES said it was an “advertisement board”. Locals said it was originally meant to be a signboard but was being used to paste job ads.
“Preliminary reports indicate there was no leakage of electricity on the pole. But the pole harboured several illegal wires, including those of cable and internet operators. One such illegal wire being used to steal electricity had leakage and was touching the metal board,” the BSES said in its statement.
The victim, Bhavesh Parakh, is a native of Ankola in Maharashtra. He was undergoing pilot training at a private academy in Dwarka Sector 7 and lived in a PG accommodation. Both places are near the accident spot.
Around 9 pm on Wednesday, Parakh and his three friends, Rupesh Jain, Jayesh Gosavi and Mervyn Roy, went to the nearby Ramphal Chowk to meet over coffee. It had rained heavily minutes ago and was drizzling at that time, leaving puddles of water.
Parakh was taking the help of the board to avoid the puddles when he got electrocuted. His three friends tried to save him, but they got stuck to him,” said Shibesh Singh, deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka).
Head constable Deepak Kumar, who was patrolling nearby, said their screams drew his attention. “I had no stick or wood, and I was wet from the rain. Since I was wearing boots, I used a ‘front push kick’ to free the students from the board,” said 44-year-old Kumar, who was a national-level taekwondo player.
“Once he was freed, Parakh was gesturing to thank me when he collapsed. I felt him stiffening and tried to revive him using cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He seemed to have begun breathing again but I regret that I couldn’t save a life,” said Kumar. Parakh died before reaching the hospital.
Police and local guards kept curious onlookers away from the electric pole. A case of causing death by negligence and negligent conduct with machinery was registered at Dwarka (South) police station, the DCP said.
Local shopkeepers said only last week, another wire from the same pole had broken. “Until the lineman arrived, we had to block the road so that people and vehicles did not come in contact with the wire,” said Ravinder Saini, a restaurateur.
Locals said roads end up water logged after 10 minutes of rain. “The drains are never cleaned. Our emails and calls to authorities don’t yield response,” said Javed Salmani, a shopkeeper.
On Friday, long stretches barely 20 metres from the spot continued to remain water logged, forcing people to walk through the ankle-deep puddles or take a detour. The same pole continued to have countless wires dangling dangerously. NEW DELHI: There is a need to improve the perception of the city police, union home minister Rajnath Singh told the Delhi police top brass in a meeting on Friday.
Suggesting ways to improve the perception of police, the home minister directed senior Delhi police officers to lead patrolling parties on the roads, have a greater visibility on the streets and ensure that there is a ‘hassle-free and citizen friendly interface with citizens.’
The home minister’s office had called all special commissioners of police along with city police commissioner Amulya Patnaik to attend the meeting.
A senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, said the home minister asked the officers about the steps they had taken to curb street crimes and gangsters and stressed the need on higher conviction rates.