23-year-old woman, a pillar of support for family, electrocuted in water-logged Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sep 6: A 23-year old woman, who allegedly died due to electrocution after she came into contact with an electric pole while navigating a flooded road here was a "pillar of support" for the family, both financially and morally.
With aged parents and a handicapped brother at home, Akhila started working after completing her graduation to support the family's needs.
Akhila worked in the administration department of a private school.
"We (parents) had called her last night and she had told me that she will come home, once the rain stops...no child should face what my child faced. Our life was dependent on her earnings, my wife can't work, son is handicapped, I work as a gardener part-time after taking care of the cows that we have," Akhila's father Somashekar said.
According to police, the incident is said to have taken place at Siddapura near Whitefield here on Monday night, when the victim was returning home on her scooter.
They said, as per account of people at the spot, on reaching the stretch of a road that was waterlogged, the woman's vehicle broke down and she lost balance. As she was trying to regain balance to move ahead, she is said to have touched an electric pole nearby, that had open wires for support, and got electrocuted.
However, the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) has said that the "fatal non-departmental accident" occurred after the victim accidently came in contact with advertisement hoarding erected on the road divider.
The mother and sister of Akhila claimed that no one nearby came to help her fearing that they too might get electrocuted, while the father said, one of her colleagues who was passing on the same stretch noticed and attended to her and rushed to hospital, where she succumbed.
"I had asked her to come home soon, and she said, she will. When called later the phone was switched off, she was everything for our house, she was like my son, she was taking care of her handicapped brother, but she has left us," said her inconsolable mother Padma.
Recalling that she was a good student and had completed her graduation, the mother said, "she even took care of cows at home. She could have studied further but could not due to the situation at home and was delaying her marriage for the same reason."
Her married sister Asha said, someone should have noticed open wires and taken action; had it been done my sister would have been alive.
"No one should face her fate or the pain my sister suffered...don't know whom to blame," she said, while remembering her sister as a safe driver.
Noting that if there was no waterlogging and the open wires were taped by the authorities, Akhila would have been alive today, Akhila's father said, adding he has filed a complaint against both Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
According to BESCOM's statement, as per its officials, who visited the spot, the victim fell on advertisement hoardings erected on the divider and got electrocuted, after her scooter skid due to waterlogging.
"Soon after receiving a call from the public, power supply was disconnected by tripping the feeder at the sub- station and BESCOM officials rushed to the spot. There was no BESCOM wire found around the hoarding, locals told that she was shifted to nearby hospital," it said.
BESCOM officials stated that one private advertisement hoarding was at the spot, it further said, adding that "officials of electrical inspectorate has visited the spot and initiated the inquiry. Whitefield police have registered the case. Body was shifted to private hospital."
Police earlier on Tuesday said they are investigating the incident.
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Nine Naxalites carrying cumulative bounty of Rs 43 lakh surrender in Chhattisgarh
Sukma, Jan 11: Nine hardcore Naxalites, allegedly involved in attacks on security forces and carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 43 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Saturday, police said.
The cadres, including two women, turned themselves in before senior officials from the police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) here, citing disappointment with "hollow" and "inhuman" Maoist ideology and infighting within the outlawed outfit, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan said.
He said the surrendered Naxalites were also impressed by the state government's 'Niyad Nellanar' (your good village) scheme, which aims at facilitating development works in remote villages and stated that senior cadres were on backfoot with the increasing pressure of security forces and setting up of police camps in interior areas.
The official said Ransai alias Oyam Buska (34), the commander of platoon no 24 of Maoists, and Pradip alias Ravva Rakesh (20), a member under a company wing of PLGA battalion no. 1, were carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh each.
He said four other cadres carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh, a woman Naxalite carried a reward of Rs 3 lakh, and two others, including a woman, carried a bounty of Rs 2 lakh each.
Chavan said Ransai was allegedly involved in attacks, including the Jhara Ghati ambush in Narayanpur district in 2007, wherein seven policemen were killed; the 2007 Ranibodli (Bijapur district) attack, in which 55 security personnel died; the 2017 ambush in Burkapal (Sukma), where 25 CRPF personnel were killed and the 2020 Minpa ambush (Sukma) that killed 17 security personnel.
The other surrendered cadres were also involved in multiple attacks on security forces, he said.
Personnel from Konta police station, District Reserve Guard (DRG), Intelligence Branch Team and 2nd and 223rd battalions played a crucial role in their surrender, he said.
The official said the surrendered Naxalites were provided Rs 25,000 each and will be further rehabilitated as per the government's policy.
Last year, 792 Naxalites had surrendered in the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Sukma.
