According to police, Saifi was riding his motorbike when the wire fell on his head. Police said Singh, who was passing by, saw that Saifi was in trouble and tried to help him, but got electrocuted himself. Both men died at the spot on the waterlogged road. (Representational Image)After having lunch at his Chhatarpur home, Saleem Saifi (29) left for a quick carpentry job around 2:30 pm Sunday. The only earning member, he was to return home by 7 pm, his wife Ruksana (26) said. Around 5 pm, she received a call that Saifi, a father of three, including an eight-month-old boy, was dead in the middle of a street in Fatehpur Beri, electrocuted when an overhead wire fell on him on a waterlogged road.
Around the same time, the phone rang at the home of Sandeep Rawat (22). His father, Hoshiar Singh (54), was dead — trying to save Saifi. Employed at a timber factory, Singh was returning home at the time.
Unknown to each other, the two families were joined in grief outside the AIIMS Trauma Centre mortuary as the post-mortems were held the next day.
According to police, Saifi was riding his motorbike when the wire fell on his head. Police said Singh, who was passing by, saw that Saifi was in trouble and tried to help him, but got electrocuted himself. Both men died at the spot on the waterlogged road.
Saifi, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha, had moved to Delhi five years ago. He lived with his wife and three children, Fyna (4), Rita (2) and eight-month-old Sahil. “He is the eldest of us four brothers and always provided for the family. Our mother lives in Amroha and Saifi would often send her money,” said Bhure, Saifi’s younger brother who lives near his home.
Sitting outside the mortuary, Ruksana said: “We received a call from police and rushed to the spot. Saifi was lying dead in a puddle. Police had put barricades and only after an hour, when officials disconnected power from the line, were the bodies taken to the hospital.”
Singh, a resident of Badarpur, worked in a factory in Jonapur and is survived by his wife and three children, Rahul (19), Sandeep (22) and Mamta (28). He, too, was the only earning member in his family.
Mamta’s husband Manish Narang, who stays with her in Rishikesh, said: “He usually left for work early in the morning and would return around 6 pm. We received a call in the evening about an accident. When we reached Delhi on Monday, police told us he had died trying to save a man’s life. He worked really hard for his family.”
According to police, a case has been registered against unknown persons under IPC sections 304A (causing death by negligence) and 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery).
“We received a call at 4:40 pm about an accident near Bagwani Nursery. We rushed to the spot and saw two men lying on the road. A bike was lying in a puddle and an electric wire was wrapped around its tyre. A call was made to the BSES control room to disconnect the electricity. The victims were taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where doctors declared them dead on arrival,” said Vijay Kumar, DCP (South). Police said Saifi was riding his Apache motorbike when a part of the wire snapped and fell.
“Singh rushed to help Saifi but the water accumulated on the road electrocuted him too. They both died on the spot,” said Kumar. Police are investigating the matter and will get in touch with BSES, an officer said.
A BSES official said: “It is an unfortunate incident. Our condolences are with the families. Preliminary reports are unable to ascertain a definitive reason for the incident. Our internal accidents committee is investigating the case. In view of the monsoon, we urge all residents to stay away from electrical installations like electricity poles, sub-stations, transformers, street lights, especially if they are waterlogged. We also request residents to immediately inform BSES if they suspect power leakage.” The official added that they will cooperate with the probe officers.
