![People protesting with dead body of PDD daily wager at Thannamandi in Rajouri. —Excelsior/Gafoor Bhat People protesting with dead body of PDD daily wager at Thannamandi in Rajouri. —Excelsior/Gafoor Bhat](https://cdndailyexcelsior.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/page3-3-3.jpg)
Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, Jan 7: Irate public staged massive protest demonstration and blocked Rajouri-Thannamandi-Bafliaz-Surankote road for more than five hours after a daily wage worker was electrocuted and trapped on the pole due to sheer negligence of staff near Thannamandi today.
Official sources said that incident took place during morning hours today when the PDD daily wage worker, Wali Mohd (32), son of Makhna, resident of Banghai village in Thannamandi, was working on an electric pole of 33 KV. The staff was on the job on war footing for the last two days for the restoration of power supply to the area.
As this young worker was riding a police, some body in the department released the power supply from the Power Station and Wali Mohd was got trapped in live cables and electrocuted on the spot. He kept trapped there on the pole for long. Two more persons working with him on the ground raised alarm and informed their senior officials. The power supply to the area was snapped. They all rushed there.
After some time police party from Thannamandi and family members of the deceased also reached there. The body was removed from the pole to hospital by police for performing postmortem and other legal formalities. It was then handed over to the family at around 12.30 pm. There was strong resentment among the family members, relatives and locals of the area over the negligence on the part of PDD insiders who released power supply. They demanded their arrest and registration of murder case against them.
Later, the family members and relatives, assisted by villagers kept body of the deceased casual Labourer, Wali Mohd on the road near Thannamandi bridge and started protest at around 1.15 pm. They raised slogans against PDD officers and demanded registration of FIR and arrest of accused. They said Wali Mohd was poor father of six children and his wife was ailing for the past some days and was undergoing treatment at Rajouri hospital. A large number of vehicles remained stranded on this road for long.
Several rounds of talks of SHO, Executive Engineer PDD, AEE concerned and Tehsildar with relatives failed. They were demanding compensation of Rs 10 lakh and registration of FIR and arrest of accused staff.
Later, SDM Thannamandi along with DDC member Abdula Qayoom Mir reached the spot. DC also spoke to them on phone and assured inquiry and registration of FIR. Department promised Rs 3 lakh and DC Rs 50,000 to the deceased’s family. The police registered case FIR No. 6/ 2021 under section 304-A IPC against PDD staff and started investigation. Then the relatives lifted dharna at around 6.30 pm and allowed movement of traffic.