A 13-year-old boy died after coming into contact with a snapped stay wire connected to an electricity pole in a paddy field near his home in Kerala’s Malappuram district on Sunday, police said, prompting protests and allegations of negligence against the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB).
Police identified the boy as Junaid, son of Shihabudheen, from Cherumukku in Tirurangadi. He had gone to the paddy field with friends to watch a tractor ploughing the land during the holiday, police said. The field is near his house and is used by farmers and people who go fishing during and outside the cultivation season, according to local residents.
Junaid came into contact with a broken stay wire lying on the ground. Police said the wire was reportedly in contact with an overhead power line, causing a fatal electric shock. His friends tried to rescue him, but the tractor driver stopped them from approaching the wire to prevent them from suffering a similar shock, residents told reporters.
The incident has drawn attention to the risks posed by damaged electricity-support infrastructure in areas used by residents. Local people alleged that several stay wires in the area had remained damaged and unsafe for years. They also claimed that electricity lines in the locality were hanging at dangerously low heights.
Residents further alleged that KSEB officials took time to disconnect the power supply despite repeated calls for assistance. These claims were made by residents and were not independently confirmed in the report. The allegations triggered protests in which residents accused KSEB officials of serious negligence.
Stay wires are used to support electricity poles and can become a direct hazard if they are damaged and come into contact with live conductors. The incident illustrates the danger such faults can create beyond roads and built-up neighbourhoods, particularly in agricultural or open areas that remain accessible to children, farmers and other residents.
The boy’s body was shifted to the mortuary of Tirurangadi taluk hospital, police said. The report did not specify whether KSEB had announced an inquiry, disciplinary action or a repair programme following the death.
