The deceased, identified as Fathima of Tuticorin, was attending a funeral in Pallavaram when the incident happened. When she was cleaning the terrace to make seating arrangements for visitors, Fathima accidentally touched an overhead live wire. The police said that she suffered severe burns and was rushed to Kilpauk government hospital, where she was declared brought dead.

Following the incident, her relatives and neighbours gathered in front of the Pallavaram police station and staged a protest. They claimed that negligence of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) was the reason for her death. According to protesters, officials were negligent despite many requests to cover the wires and there was no proper response from the officials. TNEB officials, who arrived at the spot, promised to take all safety precautions. Later, the agitators dispersed.