JE, lineman arrested for youth’s electrocution

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 14 

The local police have arrested a junior engineer (JE) and a lineman of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) in connection with the death of a youth at Pandori Waraich village. 

The suspects, identified as JE Hardev Singh and Lineman Gurmej Singh, have been charged with culpable homicide.

Harwinder Singh (21) came in contact of dangling high-voltage (11,000kV) wires after a poll fell in the village. He was going to fields while carrying a drum. He was the lone child of his parents. His father Ajit Singh, a CISF official, is posted at Ramgarh in Ranchi.

Deceased’s uncle Roor Singh said, “He died on the spot after coming in contact of high-voltage wires, which pulled him to some distance. The electric pole fell in July. We had requested PSPCL officials on a number of occasions to get it repaired as high-voltage wires were dangling. We even filed a complaint on the official toll-free number 1912. On July 31, a complaint was also filed on the registered number 11576071, but to no avail.”

“We also took the sarpanch and other prominent personalities of the village to the PSPCL’s office, urging officials to repair it,” he added.

Earlier, the Kamboh police had registered a case against the suspects for causing death by negligence. But residents demanded the registration of a murder case against the PSPCL officials. They also held a demonstration on the main road on the outskirts of Pandori Waraich village.

Senior police officers, including SP (D) Harpal Singh and DSP Amandeep Kaur, reached the spot and tried to pacify the residents. Later, the police booked them on a culpable homicide charge.

Amritsar (Rural) SSP Parampal Singh said both suspects had been arrested and they would be produced in the court on Thursday.