13-Year-Old in Tamil Nadu Electrocuted by Live Wire on Ad Hoarding

A 13-year-old boy died after being electrocuted by advertisement hoarding of Syndicate Bank in Cuddalore district.

Following a complaint from Dinesh’s parents, the police has registered an FIR against those who put up the hoarding and Tamil Nadu Electricity Board officials as well.

(Photo: The News Minute)

Despite previous accidents and court orders, banners and hoardings in Tamil Nadu continue to be a menace, irrespective of their sizes. This time, a 13-year-old boy, who is the only son of his parents, died after being electrocuted by an advertisement-hoarding of a bank in Cuddalore district.

According to the police, Dinesh Kumar, a class nine student, was on his way back home in Kullanchavadi from a Primary Health Centre at Ambalavananpettai, around three kilometres away. He was running a fever on Friday and hence had visited the Primary Health Centre.

As he was riding his bicycle, he was trying to avoid a vehicle coming from the opposite direction. While trying to move out of the vehicle’s way, he allegedly lost his balance and came in contact with a pole on which the advertisement hoarding was mounted.

“It was a small advertisement, around one to two feet in size. The wire which connected the bulb for that hoarding was disconnected and it was touching the pole. Dinesh Kumar touched the pole to balance himself as he was getting away from the vehicle. When he touched it, he was electrocuted since he was not wearing any slippers and the ground on which he was standing was wet due to rain. He fell unconscious and was rushed to the hospital,” a police officer told.

“However, he died on the way to the hospital. The hoarding that was kept on the side of the road was an advertisement of an ATM of Syndicate bank,” the police officer added. He also stated that it was not clear if the bank had the necessary permission to put up the advertisement at that spot.

Following a complaint from Dinesh’s parents, the police have registered an FIR under Section 304A (Causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code against the bank manager and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board officials responsible for the disconnected wire on the pole. The police are investigating the case and have not yet arrested anyone.

(This article was originally published in The News Minute and has been republished with permission.)