Police probe 'electrocution'

A cricket fan who had come to Chinnaswamy Stadium for the IPL match was reportedly electrocuted to death on Church Street on Saturday evening.

The victim is Manoj Kumar, 36, a resident of J P Nagar. Police said Kumar was working as a manager at TVS Sundaram Automobiles factory on Hosur Road. He had come to the match with his wife, two children and his friend Ashok.

Official complaint

Ashok, in his complaint to the Cubbon Park police, said as the match was delayed due to rain, Kumar and he left the  the stadium on a temporary basis in order to get something to eat.

They went to Empire Hotel on Church Street, and had some snacks before deciding to return to the stadium at about 7:15 pm — by which time, it had started to rain heavily.
The two were walking on the footpath, when Kumar lost his balance after he slipped on the damp ground. As he fell, he accidentally clutched an electricity pole, inadvertently touching  the mesh covering the junction box.

Badly electrocuted, he fell unconscious. Ashok rushed him to Mallya Hospital, but Kumar passed away later that night.

Case against Bescom

Cubbon Park police have registered a case against Bescom officials and are investigating. An investigating officer told Deccan Herald that they are considering all possible aspects of the case, including whether the sequence of events as described by Ashok is true or not.

He said they had information that there was tension on the spot before Kumar fell unconscious. The police are investigating as to whether, in the melee, Kumar was pushed around and that made him fall down. Police are waiting for the autopsy report so that the exact reason for the death can ascertained.