Woman Electrocuted To Death At New Delhi Railway Station, Family Alleges Negligence

Sakshi Ahuja and her two children eagerly awaited their summer vacation outing as it was the first time that they would travel on the Delhi-Chandigarh Vande Bharat Express. The family had planned the entire trip to Himachal Pradesh starting on a rainy Sunday.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, the 35-year-old teacher was electrocuted at New Delhi railway station Sunday as she reportedly clutched at an electric pole for support in a waterlogged area.

A day after the tragic death of his wife, the victim's husband Ankit Ahuja blamed the Indian Railways for the negligence and demanded strict action against the officials responsible for the lapses.

"Since the premises of the incident is under the jurisdiction of Indian Railways, it is the railway authorities who are solely responsible for this mishap," he was quoted saying by PTI.

Ankit said a railway official spoke to him following the incident but did not provide a satisfactory response.

The Indian Railways is responsible for the maintenance of all electrical installations on its premises, railway officials said.

"It is one thing to promise something and another thing to act on it. We will be able to believe the railway officials only when corrective measures are taken and implemented," Ankit, who works as an engineer with a Japanese firm, said.

"What happened with our family, should not happen with anyone else and whoever is responsible for this negligence should be held accountable and booked as per the law. Strict action should be taken against the concerned official...," Ankit added.

Recalling the mishap, the victim's 10-year-old son Raghav said one of his mother's legs got tangled in the live wire, while her other leg got stuck in the mud on the waterlogged street.

"My sister Inaya was trying to grab the pole, but I managed to save her somehow. Had I not pulled her apart, we would have lost her as well...," Raghav said.

Raghav, too, said he wanted to see behind bars those responsible for the negligence.

As per a preliminary enquiry, it was raining and Ahuja was walking towards the station when she lost her balance and grabbed an electricity pole to break her fall when she came in contact with some exposed wires which were lying at the spot, a senior police officer said. Ankita's family members alleged that she had to hold onto the pole as the streets were waterlogged and slippery due to the rainfall. She collapsed after she got an electric shock from the pole whose wires were lying exposed on the waterlogged street.

A case under Sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against unidentified persons and an investigation has been initiated, said Apoorva Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Railways).

The Delhi police and Indian Railways have launched separate probes to investigate the death of a woman after coming in contact with a live wire at the New Delhi Railway Station complex amid rainfall.

While the police said an investigation is underway and suitable action will be taken, the Railways stated that a committee has been formed to probe the woman's death.