Aligarh: Sources said on Friday that a couple died when they touched an overhead high-tension wire while working in a guava orchard in Mohanpur village of the district.
The victims were a farmer named Resham Pal, who was 42, and his wife, Geeta Devi, who was 40. And their three minor children survived: Sharad Kumar, 16, Debu Kukar, 15, and Diksha, 6.
According to Jitendra Kumar, Pal's brother, deaths occurred on Wednesday due to the power department carelessness.
“An electric wire fell on the ground leading to the incident. My brother and his wife were spraying pesticides on the trees in the orchard when a live electric wire fell on the ground. My brother accidentally came into contact with the exposed wire and got electrocuted. My sister-in-law rushed to save him but she too was electrocuted." Giriraj Singh, Pal's uncle, said.
“My nephew and his wife had rented the orchard and were working on it for the past three years. They would live and work inside the orchard. Compensation should be provided to the victim's family as they have three children."
However, officials of the power department refuted the allegations and said that the duo was electrocuted by "electrical fencing surrounding the orchard".
Raghavendra Singh, superintendent executive (rural) of the power department, said, “This incident has nothing to do with the department. The orchard was surrounded by electric fencing to prevent stray animals from entering the area.”
The SHO of Akrabad, MP Singh, has stated that an investigation is underway and that no complaints have been filed so far.—Inputs from Agencies