A Class V student received a fatal jolt a stone's throw from her home in Hazaribagh on Monday morning, when she stepped out for school blissfully unaware that a snapped overhead power line had turned the regular puddle in her familiar lane into a death trap.
Eleven-year-old Sejal Raj, the only daughter of a landed farmer and resident of Jhinjharia Pool Road in the town, was rushed to hospital, but declared brought dead. Jharkhand Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (JUVNL) has conceded negligence and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the bereaved family.
According to father Sanjay Kumar, Sejal walked the same 100 metres alone every day to catch her pool vehicle from Dewangana Chowk to her Vivekananda Central School campus at Rabindra Path, 5km away.
"Like every day, she grabbed her schoolbag and an umbrella, waved her mother goodbye and left home around 8am. It had rained heavily since midnight and her mother asked her to be careful. Who would have thought that this would be Sejal's final goodbye," Kumar's voice choked.
The farmer, who owns swathes of agricultural land in Ichak block of the district, and wife Poonam are now left with a five-year-old son. Sejal's younger brother Ayush is a Class I student of Mission School who was still at home at the time of the accident.
Local residents said the little girl failed to notice the snapped wire when she stepped into a giant puddle. "The sudden jolt left her unconscious. We rushed her to hospital, 3km away, but couldn't save her," said a neighbour.
Another resident said the wire had snapped during rain on Sunday night and JUVNL officials had been informed. "Power supply was cut off around 2am (Monday) to prevent a mishap, but oddly restored moments before Sejal stepped out of home for school," he said.
Sejal's uncle Kameshwar Mehta squarely blamed power officials for her death. "She was an adorable child who was also good in her academics. Look how negligence snuffed out a young life. How could they switch on power without removing the wire from the water?" Mehta said.
Mother Poonam could barely come to terms with reality. " Beta utho (Wake up, child)," she whispered into the ears of a lifeless Sejal as she caressed the girl's icy cheeks.
Following Sadar MLA Manish Jaiswal's intervention, JUVNL's SDO Rakesh Kumar and junior engineer Amarjeet Kumar met the bereaved parents. The SDO announced Rs 2 lakh as compensation and promised repair of the overhead wire within a week.
On why the power was turned on without repairs, SDO Rakesh Kumar claimed that local residents were lying.
"Normally, in case of an emergency, people request Sindoor substation to disconnect power supply. Once technicians confirm repairs and submit a report, supply is restored. In this case, residents didn't make any call in the first place. I have checked the records," he said.
DVC thana outpost OC Pankaj Kumar said they would lodge a case of unnatural death.
This is not the first time a live wire has claimed a life in Hazaribagh town.
In 2002, Nikhil Khanna, son of then Bihar IG J.K. Khanna, was electrocuted when a truck hit an electric pole in Bonga and the overhead wire snapped on a bus in which he was travelling.
Again, in 2011, a passenger bus rammed into a power pole near town and overhead wire claimed five lives.
Should JUVNL face criminal prosecution for Sejal's death? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
