Days after a young man died due to electrocution while crossing a water-logged street in Delhi's Patel Nagar, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India, on Thursday called for a detailed report from Delhi Chief Secretary, the Commissioner of Police, and the Chairman of Tata Power-Delhi Distribution Limited within two weeks regarding the incident.
In a statement, the NHRC said it has taken suo motu cognizance of the tragic incident where a 26-year-old IAS aspirant, identified as Nilesh Rai, died due to electrocution while trying to cross a water-logged street.
About the NHRC's statement
On Thursday, the NHRC, while quoting the media reports, which also cite the death of the aspirant, said if the above information, , is true, it raises a serious issue of the violation of human rights of the victim due to the apparent negligence of the authorities.
"The Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise a serious issue of the violation of human rights of the victim due to apparent negligence of the authorities. The water logging in the area and the flow of electric current from the electric pole to the iron gate, prima facie, indicate negligence causing a loss of life," the NHRC said.
"Therefore, the Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Government of NCT of Delhi, the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, and the Chairman, Tata Power-Delhi Distribution Limited (DDL) to submit a detailed report in the matter within two weeks. The Commission would also like to know about the action taken against the responsible persons/authorities, compensation to the next of kin of the deceased, as well as steps taken or proposed to be taken to ensure that such heartbreaking incidents do not recur," it added.
About the tragic accident
Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that the tragic accident occurred on July 22, as the deceased, with the support of an iron gate leading to his paying guest accommodation, was trying to cross the water-logged streets in the Patel Nagar area of Delhi, but as the iron gate stands right next to an electric pole with a cluster of open wires going to various homes in the society, he got electrocuted, leading to his tragic death.
Significantly, the family members of 26-year-old civil services aspirant Rai claimed on Wednesday that the power department did not timely respond to their calls, leading to his death.
"Had the electricity department responded on time, his life could have been saved," the deceased's grandfather, Sashikant Rai, said. He mentioned that many people who were trying to save Rai repeatedly called the electricity department, but no one responded.
