Four electrocuted to death in city’s bus shelter

Hyderabad, Sept 15 (INN): Taking shelter from heavy rains in a city’s bus stop proved fatal for four persons on Monday evening.

The incident happened near the bus stop of Haj House at Nampally at about 7 PM when a few workers of Gemini Circus of Secunderabad took shelter at the bus stop. However, the short circuit led to their electrocution resulting in the death of four persons. Two others were injured in the incident. While four of them were immediately rushed to the nearby Medwin Hospital, two were taken to Osmania General Hospital.

According to DCP Central Zone V B Kamalasen Reddy, the deceased have been identified as Sushil Yadav, Kausal, Rinkesh and Rupender. While Nageen is undergoing treatment at the Medwin Hospital, Manish is admitted at the OGH. Nageen is stated to be out of danger. The victims were natives of Madhya Pradesh.

Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, who rushed to the Medwin Hospital, informed that an enquiry has been ordered into the incident and officials have been directed to ensure that such incidents do no recur. He said it was too early to explain the exact cause of incident and the power department was finding out as to how the passersby were electrocuted.

GHMC Mayor Mohammed Majid Hussain and MIM MLAs Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri and Jaffer Hussain Meraj too visited the hospital. Later, bodies of three deceased were shifted to the OGH mortuary in their presence.

Deputy CLP leader and former Energy Minister Mohammed Ali Shabir, who visited the Medwin Hospital, expressed deep shock over the incident and blamed the negligence of power authorities for the same. He demanded that the government pay adequate compensation to the families of victims and take stern action against those responsible for the incident.

MBT Corporator Amjedullah Khan Khaled said that the power authorities have failed to maintain the lines properly which led to the shocking incident. He demanded that the government pay Rs 20 lakh compensation to the families of each of the four deceased. He claimed that the power department was made to pay a similar compensation when a youth of Old City got injured due to electrocution.

The proximity of the bus stop to the Haj House led to several rumours in the city, especially through to the Social Media. Although this incident was not related either to the Haj House or pilgrims, the rumours created panic among the relatives and friends of pilgrims who visited the Haj House and Medwin Hospital for information.

Meanwhile, the road leading towards Haj House was temporarily closed for traffic on Monday night where the power department officials conducted a thorough check at the spot and also to identify vulnerable power lines on the route, especially in view of ongoing Haj camp where hundreds of people are gathering every day.

It may be mentioned that the spot where electrocution happened is just a few yards away from the location where Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao flagged off the second batch of Haj pilgrims about two hours before the incident.