KALAIGAON, June 24 - In a tragic incident, a 43-year-old woman and her son were electrocuted when they came in contact with a live electric wire kept for protection of paddy fields from the wild elephants. The incident occurred at Majuligrant village of Udalguri early this morning. According to the villagers, the woman identified as Khargeswari Kachari and her 12-year son Kanai Kachari suddenly touched a live wire while grazing on a paddy field and died immediately. �It was a high-voltage line and therefore, they got killed immediately. In view of the rising cases of man-elephant conflict, people now-a-days erect high-voltage lines to drive away the wild elephants. This process has been going on for the past several years, however, the authorities concerned seem to be aloof in this regard,� the villagers claimed.
Meanwhile, a group of senior citizens of Udalguri appealed to the Udalguri administration to take urgent steps considering the gravity of the situation. �This is serious matter as we have lost two people, so the district administration should take immediate steps to create awareness among people,� they said, adding that wild elephants have destroyed several hectares of standing paddy in the bordering areas of Bhutan.
Jorhat Staff correspondent adds: In another incident, a six-year-old girl of Teok Bengali Gaon under Sonari Police Station in Charaideo district died yesterday due to electrocution.
A police source said that the victim Manisha Munda suddenly came in contact with a live electric wire lying on the ground and died on the spot. The villagers had informed the local APDCL authorities about the power line falling on the ground. However, no action was initiated from its side leading to the death.
