House Owner, Officials Booked in Boy’s Electrocution Case

Swift Summary

• A 10-year-old boy named Anant, residing in Bengaluru’s KR Puram area, died after coming into contact with a live high-tension wire.
• The incident occurred on June 16 when a broom he tossed up while playing outside hit the wire on the third floor of their building.
• Anant sustained severe burn injuries and succumbed to them in Victoria Hospital on Friday.
• His mother, tuladevi, filed a police complaint alleging negligence by the house owner and officials from KPTCL (Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited), Bescom (Bangalore Electricity Supply Company), and BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike).
• The complaint states that the third floor where they lived was an illegally constructed addition for rent income and had dangerously close proximity to high-tension wires-just four feet away from homes-with no safety measures implemented.
• Police have registered charges under Section 106 (Causing death by negligence) of BNS against those named in the complaint.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The tragic death highlights systemic issues surrounding urban infrastructure oversight in Indian cities like Bengaluru. Lack of enforcement against illegal construction is evident as unsafe buildings are frequently erected without proper planning or adherence to safety codes. Additionally,the proximity of high-tension wires further underscores inadequate coordination between authorities responsible for electricity distribution and urban planning efforts.While individual accountability is being pursued through legal action against private entities like house owners, institutional negligence by state departments such as KPTCL and Bescom suggests gaps in preventive regulations designed to safeguard public welfare around critical utilities like electricity lines.

This case serves as a reminder that ensuring citizen safety requires alignment between municipal bodies like BBMP enforcing construction laws and utility providers practicing vigilance about hazardous installations near residential zones.

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