Two men died and a minor boy was injured after allegedly suffering electric shocks while fishing in a stream at Kalmadka village in Karnataka’s Sullia taluk on Monday night, according to police. The electricity was allegedly leaked into the flowing water from a nearby plantation, prompting Bellare police to register a case over an unauthorised electrical connection.
The deceased were identified as Bharat, 28, a resident of Kalmadka, and his brother-in-law Ramesh, also known as Ganesh, 36, from Guruvayanakere in Belthangady taluk. The injured boy, whose identity has not been disclosed, was accompanying the two men when the incident occurred.
Police said the three were fishing in the stream at Hollekere and were moving through the water when they came into contact with electricity. The minor boy witnessed the incident and informed his relatives, who took all three to KVG Hospital.
Doctors at the hospital examined Bharat and Ramesh and declared them dead. The minor boy was admitted as an inpatient for treatment. The police account indicates that the electrical current entered the stream from a plantation belonging to Madhusudan Bhat, although the circumstances of the alleged connection and the source of the leakage remain under investigation.
Bellare police have registered a case against Bhat, alleging that he made an unauthorised electrical connection to the plantation. The case has been filed under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 135(1)(e) of the Electricity Act.
The incident highlights the danger posed when electrical installations are extended informally near agricultural land and watercourses. A stream used by local residents for fishing can become a lethal hazard if a live current reaches the water, but the available police account does not specify the equipment involved, whether any warning signs were present or how the alleged connection was made.
The case also places responsibility for establishing the source of the current and the circumstances leading to the deaths with the investigating authorities. Police have not yet announced further details about the electrical connection, the plantation’s power supply or any inspection conducted at the site.
Investigation into the deaths, the boy’s injury and the alleged unauthorised connection is in progress.
