NHRC notice to railways, police chief over electrocution of 6 workers

NHRC has issued a notice to railways and police chief of Jharkhand over electrocution of six contract labourers while they were installing a truss pole to support the overhead railway power lines

The NHRC has issued a notice to the railways and the police chief of Jharkhand over electrocution of six contract labourers while they were installing a truss pole to support the overhead railway power lines in Dhanbad rail division, officials said on Thursday.

Apparently, the incident, which took place on May 29, amounts to "contributory negligence" of the public servant who "failed to supervise the work of the contractor effectively", and therefore, it is a matter of concern for the Commission, the rights panel said in a statement.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that six contract labourers were electrocuted while installing a truss pole to support the overhead railway power line near Nichitpur railway crossing, on the Dhanbad-Gaya section in Dhanbad rail division. Reportedly, the contractor had not taken steps to get the power supply blocked before starting the work, it said.

The Commission has observed that the content of the media report, if true, amounts to the violation of human rights of the labourers.

Accordingly, it has issued notices to the chairman of the Railway Board, and the director general of police of Jharkhand, seeking a detailed report within four weeks, the statement said.

It should also include the status of the FIR registered by the police, action taken against the remissness of the contractor and his supervisor as well as compensation if any, granted to the next of kin of the deceased. The Commission would also like to know about the action against delinquent officers for their "supervisory lapse" attributed to the tragic incident, the rights panel said.

According to the media report, carried on May 30, the poles were being installed by the contract labourers engaged by the Rail Vidyut Nigam Limited when one of the truss poles slipped from their hands and touched the live 25 KV overhead wire, and as a result, six workers who were holding the pole were charred to death.