Magisterial probe ordered into boy’s electrocution in Chandigarh's Sector 8

Chandigarh, July 19

On the directions of Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit, Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident of electrocution, which resulted in the death of a 17-year-old boy at a transformer in Sector 8 here on Wednesday evening.

The victim, Mayank of Sector 7, was the son of the Deputy Director in the Enforcement Directorate here. While crossing the railings next to a transformer, he came into contact with it and got electrocuted.

Deeply distressed by the incident, the Administrator instructed a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of death, identify any lapses by officials and recommend necessary precautions to prevent such occurrences in the future.

Purohit, accompanied by UT Adviser Rajeev Verma, visited the site of the incident to assess the situation first-hand. The Administrator expressed his displeasure at the uncovered and exposed fuses of the power transformer and instructed the Engineering Department to take immediate measures to ensure the safety of residents in the vicinity of electricity transformers and poles in the city.

He emphasised the urgency for the electricity branch of the Engineering Department to secure or cover areas around transformers to prevent electrocutions and mandated strict adherence to all safety regulations set by the Power Ministry.

Expressing sorrow over the youth’s death, Purohit issued strict instructions to both the civil and police administrations to take stringent action against those found responsible in the probe.

Hargunjit Kaur, Secretary, Engineering, SSP Kanwardeep Kaur and officials of the Electricity Department were present during the Administrator’s visit to the electrocution site.

As an immediate response, an executive engineer and a sub-divisional engineer (SDE) have been placed under suspension pending the inquiry.

The DC said the magisterial inquiry would be conducted by SDM (Central) Naveen in a period of 10 days.