Departmental Failure Claims Life: Farmer Electrocuted By Low-Hanging Wire In Dudhpatil, Locals Demand SDO’s Suspension

A farmer was electrocuted to death on Thursday (September 11) in Dudhpatil Part-VI, under Lamargram area of Cachar, after coming into contact with a low-hanging high-tension electric wire. The deceased has been identified as Alij Ali Laskar, the sole breadwinner of his family.

According to locals, the incident took place when Alij was returning home after cutting grass from his paddy field. While carrying the fodder, he accidentally touched the live wire, which allegedly brushed against his face, killing him on the spot.

The sudden death has plunged his wife, two daughters, a son, and his aged parents into despair. “He had left home at around 9:30 AM but didn’t return till the afternoon. We later came to know he was lying in the field,” said his father, Tarmuj Ali Laskar.

Villagers alleged gross negligence on the part of the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) officials, particularly the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Udharbond. They claimed to have lodged repeated complaints and memorandums over the dangerously low-hanging wire, but no corrective action was taken.

Locals further alleged that SDO and other officials of APDCL had come to the village to install smart metres “by force” on the same morning, but didn’t listen to their complaints to restore the high voltage line to its proper height. “They told us that first smart metres would be set up, only then will this ST line be restored. When we objected, they left the village”, said another local.

“While he (deceased Alij Laskar) went to remove the weeds that had grown in his paddy field and was bringing them back for his cow. It was sunny in the afternoon, and due to sunblindness, he probably didn’t see the wire, which touched his nose, and he was electrocuted to death. His entire family depends on him”, said an enraged local.

“We have been complaining about this for the last six months. We went multiple times with people from our village. The first time, 10 of us went, but he didn’t respond to any of our complaints. The last time, more than 50 of us went, but the same usual callousness and no response from him. People have suffered electric shocks before, but no one had died until today. Now, the only earning member of a family has lost his life. If it were the SDO’s family member, perhaps he would have understood the gravity of the situation,” a resident told the media.

Angry villagers demanded the suspension of the SDO, engineer, and lineman concerned, along with compensation of Rs. 1 crore and a government job for a family member of the deceased. They also questioned why repairing a faulty line required a new scheme.

Tension ran high in the area as locals refused to move the body until the District Commissioner of Cachar visited the site. Police later intervened and sent the body for a postmortem.