A 28-year-old man died after receiving an electric shock from an ice-cream tempo parked outside a house in Ahmedabad’s Narol area, with residents alleging that unsafe power arrangements for roadside food vehicles had caused similar shocks in the past.
The incident occurred at New Sundarnagar Society, where a refrigerator kept inside a small commercial tempo, locally known as a “Chhota Hathi”, had reportedly been left charging at night. According to the report, a short circuit in the refrigerator’s electrical wiring caused current to spread through the metal body of the vehicle.
The deceased was identified as Amarjeet Ayodhyaprasad Pal, a 28-year-old resident of the society. He was passing the parked tempo at night when he unknowingly touched its body and suffered a severe electric shock. He fell to the ground after the impact.
People in the surrounding area gathered after the incident and began arrangements to take him to hospital. However, he died at the spot, according to the report. The incident highlights the danger posed when electrical appliances are connected to temporary or poorly protected power supplies in densely occupied residential areas.
Local residents alleged that concerns had previously been raised with authorities and building owners about unauthorised or hazardous electricity arrangements used by almond-roasting and ice-cream carts in the area. Residents also claimed that two or three people had earlier received minor electric shocks in the locality. The report did not specify whether any inspection or corrective action had followed those earlier complaints.
The immediate cause of the current was reported to be a short circuit in the refrigerator, but the police investigation will determine how the appliance was connected, whether protective electrical equipment was in place and whether the tempo had been properly isolated from the surrounding public space. These details are relevant because the vehicle was parked outside a home in a residential society, where people could come into contact with its metal body while walking past.
Narol police registered an accidental-death case after the incident and sent the body for post-mortem examination. Police have begun further legal investigation into the circumstances that led to the electrocution and the death. The report did not state whether responsibility had been assigned to any individual or whether any enforcement action had been taken against the vehicle owner or others connected with the electrical installation.
