Man dies of electrocution in Delhi, another dies saving him

Two men were electrocuted after a high-tension overhead cable fell on a water-logged street at Jaunapur village in south Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri on Sunday evening.

Police said while one man, a plumber, died after the cable got entangled in the bike he was riding, the other man, a 54-year-old carpenter, was electrocuted when he rushed to save the biker.

Police said the biker was Mohammad Saleem, a 32-year-old resident of Jaunapur village in Fatehpur Beri. The man who died trying to save Saleem was Hoshiyar Singh (54), a resident of Badarpur.

Saleem’s younger brother, who identified himself as Bhurey, said the incident happened around 4.30 pm when his brother, who recently quit his job, had gone to take his pending payment. “He was returning with his money when it started raining heavily. Locals who saw the incident told me the wire broke exactly when my brother was under it and fell on him. He was electrocuted and fell off the bike in the water,” Bhurey said.

“We rushed to the spot but my brother was already dead. A man lost his life trying to save my brother. We are grateful to him for having risked his life for someone he did not know. I understand how shattering would it be for his family,” said Bhurey, also a carpenter.

Saleem is survived by two daughters aged three and two years and a seven-month-old boy.

Hoshiyar Singh was heading home to celebrate his younger son’s birthday when tragedy struck. “He has two sons and a daughter, who is married. On Sunday, the family had gathered to celebrate his younger son’s birthday,” said his son-in-law Manish Narang.

Singh worked at a timber workshop in Jaunapur. “We were told by his employees that soon as he saw Saleem fall, he rushed to help him, not realising the street was water-logged,” said Narang.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Vijay Kumar said when police arrived at the spot, the two persons were lying unconscious. “They were rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre where they were pronounced dead. A case of causing death due to negligence has been registered against unknown persons. Negligence of the company providing electricity in the area is being looked into,” Kumar said.

A BSES official said preliminary reports were unable to ascertain a definitive reason for the incident. “Our internal accidents committee is investigating the case.”

“In view of the monsoons, we urge all residents to stay away from electrical installations such as electricity poles, sub-stations, transformers, streetlights, especially if they are water-logged. We request residents to immediately inform BSES if they suspect power leakage,” the officer said.