Ludhiana: Day on, cops file FIR over 8-year-old’s death by electrocution

A day after an 8-year-old boy was electrocuted to death, the Division Number 3 police on Friday registered a first-information report (FIR) against unidentified accused on charges of “death due to negligence”, officials said.

Police said they will add names of the accused in the FIR after probing which department, including the municipal corporation (MC) and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), was at fault.

The FIR was registered after the minor’s kin staged a protest on the Chauri Sarak (wide road), seeking a case against PSPCL and MC employees.

The victim’s kin gathered and staged a protest after laying his body on the road. They accused PSPCL and MC for the death of the child. The family members also raised slogans against the departments.

The 8-year-old, who used to celebrate his birthday on June 28, was readying for this year at the time of the incident. He was a brother to two sisters and his father is a rickshaw puller.

Victim’s father Rakesh Kumar said that after the rain stopped on Thursday morning, the minor went out to buy snacks from a nearby grocery store. When he came in contact with an electricity pole, he was electrocuted and died on the spot. The locals tried a rescue but to no avail.

According to the family, the deceased was a student of Class one at a government school.

Assistant commissioner of police (ACP central) Akrishi Jain said the Division Number 3 police have registered a case under Section 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

At least three persons died of electrocution on Thursday due to water accumulation in different parts of the city. With 39mm rain, waterlogging was reported across the city.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit vice-president Jatinder Mittal said the Punjab government “failed to bring any relief” to the locals, who were at the receiving end during a rainy season.

Mittal also demanded ₹10 lakh compensation for each family.