NHRC dissatisfied over UP's response to electrocution of two minor dalit girls

The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the Principal Secretary of the Department of Energy of the Uttar Pradesh government to enquire into the inaction and delay in the payment of an additional amount of Rs.2 lakh each to next of kin of two minor dalit girls here in Pradhanpur village, who were electrocuted.

Rs.1 lakh each had been paid to the next of kin of both the deceased minor girls.

Kajal, aged nine and Shikha, aged ten were electrocuted on July 11, 2011, due to failure on the part of a junior engineer and a lineman of the electricity department of the state.

The commission has also asked the Superintendent of Police of Jaunpur to conduct an enquiry into the inaction and delay in not filing a charge sheet in the court against the concerned junior engineer and the lineman accused in the matter.

Both the officers have been given six weeks time to submit the proof of payment along with the action taken report on the inaction and delay in the matter by their respective departments.

Justice D. Murugesan, member of the Commission, expressed dissatisfaction over the response of the concerned State authorities to the show cause notice issued by the Commission that the junior

engineer had retired and the lineman was put under suspension.

The commission observed that the sequence of events spoke volumes of the state of governance, particularly in the state electricity department.

During the course of enquiry, the commission had found that a 200 meter iron wire was drawn by the villagers of Harijan Basti (East) of Pradhanpur village to use the electricity illegally.

On the fateful day, the illegally drawn iron wire broke up and fell down in the field. The two minor girls came in its contact when they went towards the field to answer the call of nature and died on the

spot.

The junior engineer and the lineman were found guilty of having violated provisions of Rule 29 (1) of Indian Electricity Manual, 1956 in non-maintaining the transmission lines properly.