Chennai Teen’s Electrocution Sparks Protest Over Power Board Negligence

A 17-year-old student was fatally electrocuted on 3 July after stepping into a water-logged stretch of road in Chennai’s Tiruvottiyur neighbourhood, according to local police and hospital officials. The rain-soaked pool had been charged by a leaking underground power cable, and attempts to resuscitate the boy at a nearby hospital were unsuccessful. Residents said they had lodged repeated complaints with the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board warning of exposed wiring after roadworks damaged underground cables ten days earlier. They alleged that no workers were dispatched and that calls to cut off power on the day of the incident went unanswered. The death triggered a two-hour blockade of the Tiruvottiyur Highway, where several hundred protesters demanded the arrest of TNEB officials and an inquiry into alleged negligence and corruption. Police dispersed the crowd after promising an investigation. City authorities have not yet commented on possible disciplinary or criminal action.