Electrocution deaths: Fifth case registered against K-Electric officials

Victim was allegedly electrocuted by a pole on a main road in Shadman Town

KARACHI: Yet another case has been registered against the K-Electric CEO and other officials of the power utility over the electrocution death of a citizen. This time, the case was registered in Sharae Noor Jahan Police Station and has raised the total number of FIRs registered against the power utility's officials and CEO to five.

A young man, Talha Ahmed son of Nadeem Ahmed, had died after being electrocuted by a K-Electric pole near Shadman Town during the first spell of monsoon rain on July 29. Talha's father approached the Sharae Noor Jahan Police Station on Wednesday night and submitted a written request for the registration of the case.

Based on his complaint, Sharae Noor Jahan police registered the case, 19/202, against the K-Electric CEO Moonis Alvi and other officials on behalf of the victim's father under Section 322 - intentional murder - and other sections of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the text of the FIR, the victim's father told the police that he called his son, Talha, on Monday, July 29, at around 7:45 pm, because he was late in coming home from work.

The call was received by someone else and the man talking over the phone said that he was a staff member at the Geo Hospital in Shadman Town. The man asked the victim's father to reach the hospital as his son was unwell.

When he reached the hospital, the administration told him that his son had been shifted to the Remedial Hospital and when he reached there, he was told that his son had died after suffering electric shocks.

The father said that he fainted on hearing the news and his relatives took the body to the KKF morgue near UP Mor. The body was handed back to them after two hours and they were told to bring the police report. The relatives took the body to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital but the medico-legal formalities could not be performed there. They had to keep the body in Edhi Morgue in Sohrab Goth.

The victim's father requested that a case be registered against the senior officials of K-Electric and other relevant authorities because he had been informed that electric current was flowing from an electricity pole on the main road in Shadman Town and it became the cause of Talha's death. The police officials registered the case against the K-Electric CEO and others.

The deceased, Talha, was the eldest among four brothers and had recently started working at a private textile mill after passing his intermediate exams.

KE offers condolence

In a statement issued on Thursday, the K-Electric said it was ‘deeply saddened’ by the unfortunate incidents which occurred during the recent torrential rain and sympathised with the affected families. It added that it was extending full cooperation in the investigation process with various stakeholders including NEPRA. “The power utility reiterates that it remains committed to Karachi and will undertake required remedial measures in light of the investigation results,” the statement reads. “At the same time, KE will also be undertaking a network-wide study to identify opportunities for infrastructure improvement so as to strengthen both reliability and safety of power supply,” it adds.   

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2019.