A heartbreaking electrocution death struck Kolkata again on Saturday, claiming the life of 66-year-old Srabanti Debi right in front of her shop on Behala-Sarsuna Road in the city’s southern outskirts.
This tragedy brings the total number of electrocution deaths in and around Kolkata to 11 since September 16, highlighting the dangers of waterlogging and exposed wires during heavy rains.
Eyewitnesses say Srabanti couldn’t open her shop since Tuesday because of severe flooding in the area. Even on Saturday, the water hadn’t fully drained. She stepped out to lift the shop’s shutter while standing in the pooled rainwater and accidentally touched a bare electricity wire submerged underwater.
Local residents quickly alerted police and CESC Limited, the private power company that handles distribution in Kolkata and nearby Howrah. Rescuers pulled her body from the scene and rushed it to Vidyasagar Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.
A CESC official later confirmed the wire was linked to a light on the shop’s tin shade, underscoring how everyday infrastructure turns deadly in flooded conditions.
The crisis exploded on September 16, when 10 people lost their lives across West Bengal—eight of them in Kolkata—after coming into contact with live wires hidden in rainwater. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pointed fingers at CESC, accusing the company of ignoring her repeated calls to upgrade its aging power setup despite its monopoly in the region.
In response, CESC pledged Rs 5 lakh in compensation to each affected family. The state government stepped up too, offering Rs 2 lakh per family to help with the losses.
Adding pressure, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court demanded a report from CESC on these multiple electrocution deaths. The court also ordered the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to submit details by September 23 on steps it’s taking to fix the city’s sewerage system and curb waterlogging that fuels these risks.
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