Spitting man shocked to death

Cancer is not the only thing that can lead to the death of a person who chews gutka. Spitting can be fatal too, as the family of a 44-year-old Virar resident found on Sunday morning.

The man, Mohammed, alias Munna Shaikh, was standing by
the window of his home in Saibaba Nagar, Virar (east), when his
wife brought him tea. To have the beverage, Mohammed spat out the window.

His spit came in touch with a high-tension electric wire passing close by the window, electrocuting him. The current pulled him out
the window and he fell to the ground. He was taken to a nearby hospital, but was declared dead before admission.

According to Mohammed’s neighbours, the wire connects to a railway supply. They said local residents had been asking the authorities to shift the wire, but to no avail. Mohammed’s family members as well as the neighbours are saying he lost his life because of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) and Tata Power’s fault and they should compensate for his death.

“We had told Tata Power and MSEB to shift the high-tension wire as it is very close to the building. Many accidental deaths occurred earlier due to this wire and we want to get rid of this fear,” said Ayub Baluch, ex-president, Virar municipal council.

But Tata Power and MSEB officials said the allegations are baseless. “One must understand that the high-tension wires have been there for a very long time. However, the buildings constructed around the railway line are more recent,” said an official. “Naturally, these buildings were not designed as per norms — which obviously suggest that a certain distance must be maintained between a railway line and the boundary of a building. How can the locals blame us if the buildings are at the wrong spots?”

The police have registered a case of accidental death and are investigating the matter.