Mother, toddler electrocution case: Sneaky rat triggered chain of events

Bengaluru: A gnawing rat is said to have set off a chain of events that culminated in the death of a mother and her toddler in eastern Bengaluru on Sunday morning.

Bescom officials on Monday revealed that a rodent inside a load break switch of an apartment complex in Maithri Layout caused a short circuit around 3.50 am, tripping the electricity line at the station and simultaneously snapping the 11KV feeder line that electrocuted Soundharya and her toddler at the Hope Farm Junction. Bescom staff did not notice the live wire since it did not trip again.

Addressing the press on Monday, T Shanthamallappa, General Manager for Quality, Safety, and Standard, Bescom, said the maintenance staff conducted a test charge five minutes after the short circuit occurred, which charged the snapped wire. 

“The charged broken line didn’t come to the officials’ notice because it didn’t trip after touching the ground due to an improper ground connection. Had the line tripped again, officials at the station would have noticed that something went wrong and could have switched off the charge,” he said.

He further added that the accident occurred at the spot where nearly 150 metres of high tension (HT) electric wires remained overground since the BBMP had planned to construct an underpass at the junction. 

“We have been waiting for their plan, which will include some road and footpath deviations before we convert the wires to underground cables,” the official said. The conductor’s age was a contributing factor.

“The electric line was commissioned in 1997, so it’s about 26 years old. We believe that the ageing of the conductor could also have contributed (to causing the accident),” he said. He added that a different wing of Bescom is undertaking the process to identify such old cables and convert them into underground cables or aerial bunches.