NEW DELHI: A pre-monsoon thunderstorm turned tragic early Sunday morning in south Delhi’s Bhikaji Cama Place, when two teenage boys were electrocuted after a falling tree branch brought down a live wire onto a roadside dhaba. A third man narrowly escaped.
The victims, Arvind alias Ravinder (17) and Bharat (16), hailed from Bihar’s Madhubani and Begusarai districts and had come to Delhi to support their families.
The incident occurred around 4:30 am during heavy rainfall and strong winds. According to the police, a PCR call alerted RK Puram police station to an electrocution near an MCD kiosk on Vivekanand Marg. Upon reaching the scene, officers found that a large tree branch had collapsed onto the dhaba structure, bringing down an electric wire and sending a live current through the rain-soaked ground.
Sunil (45), who operates the dhaba, told police that the two boys were sleeping outside the kiosk when the branch fell. “The impact damaged a nearby electric wire, which began conducting current through the wet ground. Ravinder, Bharat, and even a stray dog lying nearby came into contact with the current and lost consciousness,” a senior police officer said.
Both teens were rushed to the hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival.
Ramu, another worker who was sleeping alongside the victims, recounted the horrifying moment. “It was raining heavily. Suddenly, I felt a mild electric shock. I woke up and saw a branch had fallen. A stray dog nearby began shaking violently and collapsed. Then another branch hit a power line, and in seconds the ground around us was live with electricity. Ravinder and Bharat were too close — I shouted their names, but they didn’t respond.”
A visit to the site by TOI revealed numerous fallen branches entangled in power lines and stagnant water pooled around exposed wiring — a hazardous mix. Locals said the incident reflects a broader failure in basic urban maintenance.
Tree pruning, they claimed, is virtually nonexistent. At a nearby tea stall near the Bhikaji Cama Place fire station, a vendor was seen manually removing tree debris entangled with a sagging electric wire above a flooded patch of road. “Even light rain floods this area. Now with wires dangling, I had to clear the branches myself to prevent more accidents,” he said.
A car mechanic working near the dhaba added, “No one maintains these trees. Without regular pruning or checks on overhead cables, such accidents are inevitable.”
The boys’ families were devastated. Bharat’s mother, Laxmi, sat silently outside the AIIMS trauma centre, surrounded by relatives. Fighting back tears, she said, “I work as a house help in Lodhi Colony. I couldn’t support his studies. He started working young to save money for my treatment. I thought he worked at a hotel and had a room. He never told me he slept outside.”
Arvind’s cousin Prem shared similar grief: “He came to Delhi very young with hopes of earning. We believed he had a proper job and accommodation.”
Another worker at the dhaba said grimly, “None of us can afford to rent rooms. That’s why we all sleep outside. If we move too far, we lose our jobs.”
The tragedy has highlighted the urgent need for improved urban infrastructure, regular tree maintenance, and safer accommodation for migrant workers who remain among the most vulnerable during extreme weather.
