The Chagodi village chief died while several others sustained burns when high-voltage current struck them following a short circuit in a transformer in the village, in Jaunpur, on Monday. While the incident saddened the villagers, they resented negligence of the power department officials.
Due to the short circuit in the transformer at 5 am, the hanging power wires came into contact with one another, triggering the mishap. As the village chief Surat Dhiman turned on a light, he got electrocuted and died on the spot. Due to spread of the current, several people in the village were hurt.
Baldev Kaintura, Jasbir and Mohan lal sustained burns in hands and feet, among others. Several costly electric equipments like fridge and television sets were damaged due to the high voltage running in the area.
The villagers sounded angry, alleging that the power department had done nothing despite being informed repeatedly of the wires hanging out. They blamed the power department’s negligence for the tragedy.The injured were taken to Nainbag Hospital for treatment from where they were later refereed to Dehradun.