Eight people have been electrocuted in Calcutta and its vicinity since Monday during the heavy rains, bringing into sharp focus the question who should be held accountable for what has become an annual ritual.

Among the dead are two 12-year-old girls, Anushka Nandi and Sneha Banik, who were returning after taking private tuition on Wednesday evening.

Between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, two men were electrocuted on the northern fringes of Calcutta.