Teen worker electrocuted while cleaning water tank in Thane, contractor arrested

Representational Pic

Police have arrested a contractor in connection with the tragic death of a 16-year-old boy, who suffered a fatal electric shock while cleaning a water tank at a housing complex in Thane city, Maharashtra, an official confirmed on Tuesday.

According to PTI reports, the 40-year-old contractor had been hired by a housing society located on Ghodbunder Road to undertake the cleaning of its water tanks. However, in a case of apparent negligence, the contractor assigned the hazardous task to the minor without equipping him with any necessary safety gear, officials said.

The incident occurred on March 22, when the teenager was engaged in the cleaning process. As per police accounts, the boy inadvertently came into contact with an electric source, leading to an instantaneous fatal shock. He succumbed to the injury on the spot, a police official from the Kasarwadavli police station informed PTI.

Upon receiving information about the tragic incident, law enforcement personnel rushed to the site. The boy's body was subsequently sent to a government hospital for a post-mortem examination. Initially, the authorities recorded the case as an accidental death. However, following a thorough investigation, the police established negligence on the part of the contractor, holding him responsible for the minor's untimely demise, the official stated.

PTI reports that the contractor was taken into custody on Monday. A case was registered against him under section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

This tragic case follows a similar incident of 2024 in Ambernath, Thane district, where three workers lost their lives while cleaning a water tank. The accident occurred in Jambhul village near Ambernath when an electric motor, installed for pumping out water, discharged an electric current into the tank. The unsuspecting workers inside the tank were electrocuted and died on the spot.

According to police, the deceased were identified as Gulshan Mandal, Rajan Mandal, and Shaligram Kumar Mandal - all migrant workers from Bihar who had recently moved to the city for work. Their bodies were taken to Ulhasnagar Central Hospital for post-mortem. A colleague who had brought them to Maharashtra revealed that the trio had been seeking employment opportunities when tragedy struck.

(With inputs from PTI)