Senior Bescom officials booked over lineman’s death

Three senior Bescom officials and a lineman have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and criminal negligence after a 31-year-old assistant lineman was electrocuted while at work on a live electric pole in RT Nagar on May 27.

The deceased, Ashok Kumar, a resident of Matadahalli in RT Nagar, worked at the Benson Town sub-division of the Shivajinagar division of Bescom, the police said.

Based on a complaint by Kumar’s wife, Ashwini V P, the RT Nagar police have booked cases against assistant executive engineer Byregowda, assistant engineer Shivaji Rao, junior engineer Lokesh and lineman Raja Ram. All four suspects are yet to be arrested, said the police.

According to the police, the incident happened around 4.45 pm at an electric pole near Adarsh School in Rahamatnagar. In her complaint to the police, Ashwini alleged that her husband had gone to work on that day at 8 am. She was informed in the evening that her husband was admitted to Mahaveer Jain Hospital. When she rushed to the hospital, she learnt that her husband was brought dead. Upon inquiring, she found out that Ashok had climbed the electric pole and got electrocuted during work.

Due to rains on May 26 night, senior officials of the sub-division received numerous complaints from the locality, and the officials instructed linemen, including Ashok, to attend to complaints. While Ashok was working on one of the poles, he came into contact with a live wire and sustained electric shock and burns.

He was rushed to Mahaveer Jain Hospital, but he died on the way, the police said. The victim’s wife alleged that her husband was killed due to the negligence of Bescom who despite knowing that electricity was not switched off, let her husband climb the pole. She also alleged that no precautions were taken and no protective gear was provided to Ashok.