Power Worker Dies During Tree Trimming in Varanasi; JE Suspended, FIR Names Five

Varanasi: A 28-year-old contract electricity worker died after coming into contact with a live line while trimming tree branches near Teliabagh Chowk, prompting a police case against five people and the suspension of a junior engineer.

The worker, identified as Shiv Prakash Yadav of Kataria in Chandauli district, was carrying out pruning work in the area served by the Chowkaghat 33/11 kV substation on 18 July. He suffered a fatal electric shock during the task.

According to a complaint submitted by his brother, the worker was allegedly told to climb and cut branches without a proper shutdown of the feeder. That claim is part of the police investigation and has not yet been established in court.

FIR and departmental action

Police registered a first information report naming five people connected with the work, including electricity-department officials and field personnel. An FIR records allegations and begins a criminal investigation; it is not a determination of guilt.

The junior engineer responsible for the area was suspended pending a departmental inquiry. Electricity officials said the initial information indicated possible negligence, but the internal review must establish who ordered the work, whether a shutdown was requested and confirmed, and what protective equipment and supervision were provided.

Those records are central to the case. Tree trimming near energised distribution lines should be governed by a clear permit-to-work process, positive confirmation that the line is isolated, earthing where required and communication between the control room and field crew. Contract status does not reduce an employer’s duty to provide a safe system of work.

A recurring safety concern

The death follows other fatal electrical incidents reported in and around the city this monsoon, including an earlier case involving a contract lineman. Wet conditions, vegetation growth and roadside congestion increase risks, but predictable hazards must be managed rather than treated as unavoidable.

The city is also under a period of unstable weather, with a sharp rise in the Ganga already affecting riverfront activity. Utilities conducting monsoon maintenance need heightened checks because damp surfaces and damaged insulation can make errors more dangerous.

The inquiry should now preserve duty rosters, shutdown logs, call records, work orders and safety briefing documents. It should also examine compensation and statutory benefits due to the family. Publishing the department’s final findings would help show whether individual decisions, contractor practices or wider supervision failures contributed to the death—and what will change before another crew is sent to work near a live line.