Delhi Police File Negligence Case After Caretaker Dies of Electrocution in Anand Vihar

The Delhi Police have registered a case of negligence following the death of a 28-year-old man who was electrocuted by a lamppost on Somnath Marg in east Delhi's Anand Vihar, officials said on Saturday.

Investigators have invoked Section 289 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to negligent conduct with respect to machinery. Police officials stated that they will approach the concerned civic and government agencies to establish the ownership and maintenance records of the pole involved in the incident.

The deceased, identified as Sandeep, worked as a caretaker in a nearby colony. The incident occurred around 8 pm on Wednesday while he was walking home and allegedly came into contact with the lamppost situated on the road divider. Police recovered his body around 7 am on Thursday, and a subsequent postmortem examination confirmed electrocution as the cause of death.

Sandeep was the sole breadwinner for his household. Orphaned at six months of age, he was raised by his aunt Kishanpyari and uncle Sunderlal in a one-room flat in Shahdara's Bihari Colony. Both his guardians had previously worked as contractual employees before retiring due to medical complications.

According to Sunderlal, Sandeep typically left for work in the morning and returned home around 8:30 pm. When he did not return on Wednesday night, Kishanpyari attempted to call his mobile phone. An unidentified individual answered the call before the phone was switched off.

Following the call, the family spent approximately two hours searching the streets in the area but were unable to locate him that night.