Nagpur: More than 72 hours after a 60-year-old woman, Afroz Begum Azim Khan, was electrocuted after stepping into a live cable in a water-filled ditch at Auliyanagar near Taj Bagh on Wednesday night, Sakkardara police failed to follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in an electrocution death for fixing accountability before registering an offence. “The Gujarat-based contractor, who left the streetlight cable exposed and naked, is sitting happy at home and NMC, who hired the contractor, hopes for a swift burial of the case, like Afroz’s body,” said a Tajbagh resident.Maharashtra State Minority Commission chairperson Pyare Khan took suo moto cognizance of the case on Friday, recced the tragedy spot and directed police to immediately register an FIR and fix responsibility, whether the lapse was by a private company or govt employees. Demanding compensation for the next of kin of the victim, Khan told DCP Zone Rashmitha Rao to expeditiously handle the case. However, till midnight the govt and police machinery did not move.Sakkardara police did not seek any opinion from PWD’s electrical department or a competent authority whose opinion is admissible in court. Legal experts say police should have registered an offence under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for causing death by negligence against an unknown person and later identified the accused. “They could have converted it to a more serious charge based on investigation and expert findings,” said an expert, stressing police can either suo moto register an offence or get a competent authority to furnish a complaint.The senior citizen had fallen into a rain-filled trench dug by the Gujarat-based private company during construction work a fortnight ago. Cables had snapped during the digging, and the pit filled with water, turning it into a death trap. Residents had repeatedly complained to zone office authorities about the death trap, their warnings were ignored.Sakkardara cops stood mute spectators to the death and later labelled the case “accidental death” and are now awaiting the autopsy report. Legal experts point out that post-mortem reports rarely give clear evidence of electrocution, and the forensic lab’s chemical analysis report takes months or even a year.Despite this, senior inspector Ramesh Khune of Sakkardara police station refused to act, saying he will wait for the autopsy report. He also declined calls from The Times of India. Even Zonal DCP Rashmitha Rao sounded clueless about the case.Sources said police have not recorded statements of NMC officials, residents or the company involved so far. No letter has been sent to PWD or electrical experts, whose opinion is crucial for filing a chargesheet in electrocution cases.This is not the first time senior inspector Ramesh Khune has come under scrutiny. During his earlier tenure at Yashodhara Nagar police station, nearly 10 murders were reported in a year, leading to public protests and a rasta roko agitation. He was removed amid demands from residents.Despite this track record, Khune was given the Sakkardara posting. Soon after taking charge, a double murder shook the area, and it took 22 days and special instructions from police commissioner Vishwas Nangre Patil to nab the accused from Pune.As the state minority commission pushes for an FIR, the city waits to see whether Sakkardara police will finally follow procedure or continue dragging its feet.
