A 27-year-old mother of three was electrocuted while two others, including a 17-year-old boy, sustained severe burns when they accidentally came in contact with a service line of Jharkhand Urja Vikas Nigam (JUVNL) in suburban Jamshedpur around Monday midnight.

The victims have been identified as Sumitra Hembram, the deceased wife of mason Bhaglu Hembram and resident of Govindpur near Telco, and her injured relatives Rukmini Hembram (45) and Sonu Hembram (17). Rukmini has been admitted to Tata Main Hospital and Sonu is being treated at MGM Medical College and Hospital.

The tragedy took place at Dhuan Colony in Govindpur, 10km from the heart of the steel city.

Bhoglu said his wife was fetching clothes from a metal clothesline inside their tiled house when she received a jolt. He claimed their clothesline had somehow come in contact with a JUVNL service line.

"As her hand remained stuck to aluminium wire, my aunt Rukmini tried to pull her away, but she too received a shock. Instinctively, my cousin Sonu tried to rescue both and sustained burns. Their screams woke me up and I used a broom to separate them from the wire," he said.

As Sumitra was already dead, family members rushed the others to hospital. Relatives in Govindpur held on to the body till 2pm on Tuesday, demanding compensation from JUVNL.

A team from the state power utility inspected the spot later in the day.

Assistant engineer Satyanarayan Patro confirmed death by electrocution death, but refused responsibility saying the accident had taken place inside the house. "The death was not caused by an overhead high-tension line as was reported to us. The JUVNL cannot be held responsible," he said, adding that the fault in the service line within the house would be rectified.

Dhuan Colony is inhabited by the working class, mostly labourers employed by industrial units and construction firms. Though houses have JUVNL connection, the wiring system is old and risky.

Riyaz Ahmed Khan, a Tata Motors employee who lives in the colony, said the JUVNL should own responsibility for the death of the woman who has left behind two daughters and a son, the eldest girl being only seven years old.

"The JUVNL has not followed norms in providing power connection to residents. Overhead cables also pass very close to homes. The power firm must adequately compensate the bereaved family and also bear treatment costs of the injured," said Khan, who is also the vice-president of East Singhbhum Congress Committee.