Kolkata man dies after coming in contact with live wire in Bhowanipore, probe launched

Local sources said an electric wire was hanging from the railing of a house on Justice Dwarakanath Road on Friday afternoon.

Dark cloud looms over Kolkata as cyclone Dana approaches. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Dark cloud loomed over Kolkata as cyclone Dana approached the city. (Express File Photo by Partha Paul)

A 25-year-old man, Sourav Gupta, was electrocuted in Bhawanipore on Friday while returning home. The incident occurred on Justice Dwarakanath Road, where water had accumulated due to heavy rain. The police have filed an FIR of unnatural death and negligence against a nearby housing unit.

Local sources said an electric wire was hanging from the railing of a house on Justice Dwarakanath Road on Friday afternoon. Continuous rainfall led to water accumulation on the road, and Gupta, walking through the water, came into contact with the live wire. A police investigation is underway and a team from the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) visited the site on Saturday.

Eyewitnesses said Gupta collapsed into the water after being electrocuted. Locals, using bamboo, managed to remove him from the wire. He was immediately rushed to Shambhunath Pandit Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Official Response from Authorities

Mayor-in-Council of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Sandipranjan Bakshi, commented, “We thoroughly checked the electricity poles in the area. There are no municipal poles near the site of the accident. The issue appears to stem from an illegal attempt to switch on lights using the meter box of a nearby house. Police and CESC are investigating the matter.”

State BJP President Sukant Majumdar criticized Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the incident, stating, “This tragic event occurred in the Chief Minister’s own constituency and could have been avoided. Despite her administration’s efforts to control the situation from Nabanna, a young man lost his life due to electrocution in stagnant water.”

In response, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh countered, “Sukant Majumdar is politicizing a tragedy. Those responsible for similar incidents, like flooding in stations and airports in other states, are now commenting without understanding the local situation.”

Atri Mitra

Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More

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