A 35-year-old tipper driver, identified as Didar Hossain Sheikh, was electrocuted at a petrol pump in Hailakandi town on Thursday after the hydraulic trailer of his vehicle touched a high-tension overhead power line, police and witnesses said. The incident prompted immediate allegations of safety negligence by local residents and officials.
Sources said Didar had raised the tipper’s hydraulic trailer after refuelling when the raised trailer struck a live, low-hanging power line that ran above the petrol pump premises. He received a severe electric shock and was thrown to the ground as he tried to exit the vehicle. His brother, who rushed to help, briefly came into contact with the current but escaped without injury.
Didar was first taken to Algapur Hospital in critical condition and was later shifted to SK Roy Civil Hospital in Hailakandi, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. The body has been sent for an autopsy, authorities said.
Algapur-Kanchanpur Zila Parishad member Aftab Uddin blamed both the petrol pump management and the electricity department for the tragedy, saying insulated, safe cabling should have been mandated inside commercial petrol pump premises. “Instead, exposed and low-hanging live wires were allowed directly over a high-vehicle fueling area,” he said.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into possible safety lapses and criminal negligence. Officials did not immediately say whether any arrests had been made or whether the power line had been inspected or secured following the incident.
Didar is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. Neighbouring residents and relatives demanded prompt action against those responsible for the electrical hazards and called for stricter enforcement of safety standards at fuel stations to prevent similar deaths.
Original Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/tipper-driver-comes-in-contact-with-overhead-live-wire-electrocuted/articleshow/133216256.cms
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Publish Date: 2026-08-13 20:09:00
