Delhi Electrocution Case: From Police to Railways, Where Does the Buck Stop?
While the Railways has formed a four member committee to probe the case, Delhi Police is yet to identify suspects.
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"Who killed my wife? It wasn't just the wire hanging from that pole... I want to know which department is responsible for her death?" asked an inconsolable Ankit Ahuja.
Three days ago, his wife Sakshi -- a 35-year-old teacher and mother of two -- was electrocuted outside the New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS) as she was about to embark on a holiday with her family.
She was electrocuted as she reportedly clutched at an electric pole for support in a waterlogged area in the railway station's parking lot. As per NDTV, visuals showed naked electric wires at the bottom of the pole -- the probable cause of the incident.
An FIR was filed on 25 June at the NDLS police station under sections 287 (negligent conduct pertaining to machinery) and 304 A (death due to negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The FIR, however, did not mention the names of any suspects or accused in the case.
The Quint spoke to Delhi Police officers investigating the case, officials from the Northern Railways, and Sakshi's family to understand what happened on the morning of 24 June, why the live wire was not insulated, and where does the buck stop.
Three Days On, Delhi Police Yet To Identify Suspects
The incident took place at the railway station's parking lot, near exit one. The FIR -- accessed by The Quint -- claimed, "After few steps of walking, my sister fell down near the electric pole... No one nearby helped us."
DCP (Railways) Apoorva Gupta said that as per preliminary investigation, "...we learnt that she tried to hold on to the electric pole as she slipped while crossing the puddle in the parking lot. We spoke to bystanders and other eyewitnesses regarding this."
Three days after the incident, the police, however, is yet to identify any suspects in the case.
DCP Gupta told The Quint, "We are awaiting the results of the forensic report and a reply from the office of the Chief Electrical Engineer (CEC) of the Northern Railways to identify the people who were responsible for the maintenance of the wires and electrical appliances at the station. It's not easy for us to identify these officials. The Railways will have to come up with these names."
DCP Gupta added that the police is examining CCTV footage from the day of the incident. "Due to the elevation and the distance of the camera from the spot, we can make out the what happened but we cannot be fully sure about the chronology of what transpired," she said.
The police also wrote to Central Electricity Authority (CEA) of India — a government body that prescribes the standards on matters such as construction of electrical plants, electric lines, their connectivity to the grid, and is responsible for inspection of electrical installations — to inspect the spot of the incident.
"The CEA wrote back to us saying that maintenance of electrical installations on railway property is handled by the Railways only," DCP Gupta told The Quint.
'Insulation Failure Should Have Been Checked Before Monsoon': Railways Official
The Quint spoke to Northern Railways Chief PRO (CPRO) Deepak Kumar, regarding the probe being conducted by the Indian Railways in this case. Kumar said that a four member committee, formed one day after the incident, is expected to submit a detailed report in seven-eight days, after which the Railways will zero down on people and departments responsible for the tragedy.
"From what we know as of now, it was a case of insulation failure. There is no way of knowing that in advance. We do regular checks and inspection of all electric poles from time to time to avoid such incidents. Once an insulation failure is detected, the cables are repaired at the earliest," Kumar said.
Kumar added that the maintenance staff at the New Delhi Railway Station has contractual and permanent employees. "The exact strength of the maintenance staff, who was responsible to inspect that particular pole, and when it was last inspected are questions which the committee will be able to answer in a more detailed report," he said.
A senior railway official familiar with the probe, on condition of anonymity, told The Quint that insulation failure is not a new problem.
"It's impossible to prevent insulation failures. Over time, wires and cables degrade and insulation is lost. What can be prevented, however, is people coming in touch with the damaged cables. After Sunday's accident the Railways has started fibre coating all electric poles on its premises. This should've been done before the monsoon because that is when chances of electrocution increase," the official said.
In 2021, 34 People Died of Electrocution Per Day: NCRB
As per data by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 12,492 people lost their lives due to electrocution in 2021.
In fact on 25 June, just a day after Sakshi's death, a 17-year-old lost his life due to an electric shock in Taimoor Nagar, located in Delhi's New Friends Colony.
As per news agency ANI, when the authorities arrived at the scene, they discovered that the street was inundated with water following heavy rainfall. The police officials confirmed to the agency that the accumulated water had become a conductor of electricity, leading to the accident.
Meanwhile, the same day as Sakshi's death, a 30-year-old man died of electrocution after he came in contact with a wire fence of a residential society in Pune's Kondhwa when he took shelter from rain.
Pune police booked a case under IPC section 304A (causing death due to negligence) on a complaint lodged by his father.
In Delhi, as Sakshi's husband Ankit tries to come to terms with his wife's death, he said, "This was totally avoidable. This time it was her (Sakshi), next time, it can be anyone else. It can't be one person's fault. It's the system... And that system can lead to the death of anybody tomorrow."
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