Angul: In a heart-wrenching incident in Poktunga village, under Bantala police station limits in Angul district, a couple working at a farmhouse lost their lives to electrocution. The tragic deaths of Sur Padhan (30) and Sukanti Padhan (25) have raised serious questions about safety and accountability, ultimately leading to the arrest of the farmhouse owner.
Tragedy struck late in the night in the farmhouse of Tikiria’s Bhavgrahi Dehuri, 52. The couple, farm laborers on a nine-month contract, were found unconscious in the Saurabad locality of the farmhouse, and the distressed Bhavgrahi in a rush rearranged to carry them to the district headquarters hospital. They were pronounced dead by the doctors as soon as they got them under their care.
The deaths have now been pinned on electric wires that, in seeking to keep animals at bay, were hastily put up around the farmhouse. These ad hoc arrangements unfortunately had their deadly consequences upon the untimely death of Sur and Sukanti.
Landlord finds himself a likely arrester on the negligence charge.
The bereaved family did not waste time in lodging an FIR against the landlord for his gross negligence. The District Headquarters Hospital doctors had mortally declared the husband and wife accompanying the staff members to have died just as they arrived.
The law enforcement officer in charge, together with Subdivisional Police Officer Ramakant Mahalik and Inspector-in-Charge Sangita Mohapatra, recommended a scientific team, including engineers drawn from the electricity department, to examine the crime scene further.
Preliminary assessment suggests that the accident occurred due to the unsafe wiring inside the property. This provides grounds for legal action wherein the long arms of the judge claimed Dehuri.
It is a grotesque business that sewing seeds, feeding mouths, and setting up livelihood lives softly. The community has been left in shock that has helped fuel a conversation addressing the safety condition of workers in the hinterland. Though it appeared original that the wires were put up to protect the crops from wildlife, they were fastened thoughtlessly with little regard to operating procedures.
Nowhere has this tragedy done anything to forestall a conversation surrounding a need to get very safe and accountable farm operations, especially when their practices are slightly in the direction of social safety. The police have extended relief to the investigation and pending autopsy reports that seal all mixed sentiments in common goal-direct justice for the families of the late.
Concluding Thoughts
Negligence has once again claimed innocent lives, emphasizing the urgent need for responsible practices in hazardous settings like farms and estates. This tragic loss serves as a stark reminder that shortcuts in safety can have devastating consequences. As investigations continue, the question looms: how many more lives must be lost before such reckless negligence is addressed?
