Death of four by electrocution in Bhor village: MSEDCL says ‘not our fault’

A statement issued by the MSEDCL said, “The MSEDCL clarifies that the company is not responsible for the unfortunate electrical accident in Gunjavani riverbed in which four persons have died while pushing the water pump. Prima facie, the accident has taken place in the connection which lies ahead of the power meter, which means it has taken place on the customer’s side. It seems that the incident has taken place because adequate electrical safety measures were not taken. The consumers are required to remove the kitkat fuse of the meter box before doing any work on it. It is possible that the accident has taken place because this step was not taken.”

The police identified the deceased farmers as Vittal Malusare (45), his son Sunny Malusare (26), Vitthal’s cousin Amol Malusare (36) and Vitthal’s maternal uncle Ananda Jadhav (55). Teams from Rajgad police station and the local office of the MSEDCL reached the spot after the incident. A probe into the accident has been launched by the inspectors of the state government. The electrical inspection falls under the purview of the Chief Electrical Inspectorate of the Department of Industrial, Energy and Labour of Government of Maharashtra. It is an entity independent from the jurisdiction of the MSEDCL.

Inspector Sachin Patil, in-charge of Rajgad police station, said, “The police were informed about the incident by the local residents. All four bodies were recovered from the water with the help of the local residents.”

Shankar Nana Malusare, a local villager, said, “Most of the farms in our village get water through lift irrigation from the reservoir created by the barrage on the Gunjavani river. To divide the expenses of the installation of pipelines and pumps, the farmers of the neighbouring fields install lift irrigation pumps in partnership. Vitthal, Amol and Jadhav had installed a pump together.”

Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhausaheb Dhole said, “The preliminary probe suggests that the four persons were moving the pump installed in the river further into the riverbed as the water level had reduced recently. The power supply cable used for the pump has several cuts and joints along the way which were covered with sticking tape.”

Superintendent of Police for Pune Rural Jurisdiction Ankit Goyal said, “A case of accidental death has been registered in this regard. Based on the report from the electrical inspectors and statements of the witnesses, the further course of action will be decided.”

Local residents said that Vitthal and his son Sunny are survived by Vitthal’s wife and two daughters. Amol is survived by his wife and parents while Jadhav is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter and his parents.