Live wire touches cycle, 7-year-old electrocuted

KOLKATA: A seven-year-old boy who was alone at home after parents left for work was electrocuted to death while picking up his bicycle that came in contact with a live wire in the Baisnabghata Patuli area around 8.30am on Monday. The Patuli police lodged a negligence case even though a post-mortem of the victim, Krishnendu Das, is being carried out.
The house owner has been detained for questioning along with his wife, sources said.
Cops said the electrical box, from where the connection reached this C-block residence, was nothing but a “horrible mess of wires.” “There was not even a basic wooden cover and the electric metres and the wires were all dangling out. Two of these wires were lying on the cycle when we recovered the body of Das on Monday. There was a water tap and pump next to the spot where the wires were dangling,” said an investigating officer.
The child’s father, Prashanto Das, an auto driver, said, “I am a tenant here. I have told my landlord repeatedly to arrange for an electrician. My son died without any fault on his part,” said the distraught father.
The family members said they had even complained to CESC workers when they had come for metre reading, but they had not taken any preventive step.
“The metre box is not our area of concern. It is essentially a concern of the house owner,” said a CESC officer, adding that they will report to the police about the negligence, which they have seen at the house. The incident was first spotted by Joy Sarkar who lives next to the victim’s residence. “I tried calling the boy who was lying in an odd manner over his cycle. He did not respond when I tried calling him. I suspected something was seriously wrong,” said Sarkar who had summoned his friend and removed the child to a safe place before calling the doctor. “By the time the doctor arrived, it was already too late,” said Sarkar.