APDCL’s Negligence Kills Labourer from Kamrup in Cachar, Locals Block Silchar-Imphal Highway

A daily wage labourer from Kamrup (Rural) district, identified as Saddam Hussain, died of electrocution on Thursday (July 3) afternoon while working at a construction site in the Boroitol area of Kashipur in Cachar. The incident has triggered protests, with locals blocking the Silchar-Imphal National Highway demanding accountability, as they claim the incident occurred due to the negligence of APDCL and no safety equiments being provided by the site in-charge and the construction company.

Saddam Hussain, son of Mukharul Haque, was a resident of Rangeswari village in Kamrup’s Tupamari area. He had been working with the TDC Construction company on road construction and electric line shifting work. While he was atop an electric pole laying cables, the power supply from the Kashipur feeder line was allegedly turned on, leading to his instant death. His body remained on top of the pole at the time of reporting.

Fellow labourers alleged they were not provided with any safety gear or insulating gloves and were even denied food in the afternoon. “We were not given any safety equipment. When we asked for food this afternoon, we were told to wait and continue working,” said a co-worker.

Hussain’s nephew, also working at the site, said, “They didn’t inform us about any live connection. The site in-charge told us to climb. My mama went up and was electrocuted to death. We’ve been working here for two days.”

Another labourer stated that the site in-charge had claimed the line was under shutdown. “We trusted him, but clearly the line was live. This happened because of their careless behaviour,” he added.

As the news spread, locals joined the workers in blocking the Silchar-Imphal National Highway, accusing the Electricity Department of gross negligence and demanding justice.

At around 5:30 in the evening, a Cachar Police team reached the spot and lifted the road blockade and took the dead body into their custody for postmortem examination.

Locals have blamed the responsibility of this disaster on Mewalal Robidas, the lineman of the area. They claimed that, while he was present in the area and saw that the work was going on, why did he power on the line, while labourers were working on it, with approval of a shutdown? Locals even claimed that, a few years back, another such incident happened due to Mewalal Robidas’s callous behaviour.