A 17-year-old boy, returning home after his evening tuition class, was electrocuted as he stepped into a pool of stagnant rainwater on the road above a damaged underground electric cable at Peer Payilvan Street in Thiruvottiyur late on Wednesday evening, July 2.
The deceased has been identified as Nafeel, a Class XII student at a private school, residing on the same street.
A senior officer of the Thiruvottiyur police said the puddle was formed following the rain on Tuesday evening. "A few months ago, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) had laid interlocking paver blocks along the street. We suspect that during the work, the underground cable may have been damaged," he said.
"We have registered a case of unnatural death as of now, and after an inquiry, we will decide whether to alter it to death by negligence," the officer added.
The boy's family and residents staged a protest demanding action against officials of the electricity board whose alleged inaction led to the death.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, one of the residents M Illiyas said just as Nafeel collapsed on the ground, a group of more than 10 children were about to leave a madrasa adjacent to the spot. If they had reached the puddle before Nafeel, several of them would have met a similar fate. "Seeing Nafeel fall to the ground, they stayed inside," he said.
Another resident, Usman, said, "As Nafeel was lying on the ground in front of his mother, some of the neighbours tried to rescue him but they experienced electric shock and had to distance themselves. After more than 10 minutes, the boy was rescued and was taken to a nearby clinic, and from there, to a private hospital, where he was declared dead."
Upon information, the police recovered the body and sent it to Government Stanley Hospital for postmortem. A probe is on.
When The New Indian Express contacted officials from Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL), they said a proposal to give a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family has been sent for the chief minister's approval and once cleared, the amount will be handed over to the family. Departmental action has been initiated to identify if there was negligence in play, the officials said.
(With inputs from S Guruvanmikanathan)
