A 17-year-old boy, Nafeel, lost his life to electrocution in Chennai’s Tiruvottiyur on Wednesday night after stepping into a rainwater puddle reportedly charged by a damaged underground power cable. The incident triggered a wave of public anger, with residents staging a protest against what they called gross negligence by authorities.
Nafeel had been returning home from tuition when he collapsed near Thangal Peer Pailvan Dargah. Locals used wooden sticks and plastic pipes to pull him out, but he was declared dead at the hospital. His body was later taken to Stanley Government Hospital for autopsy.
Residents alleged they had made multiple complaints to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) about a live wire and electric shocks in the area, but received no response. The area had been waterlogged following an evening downpour, and locals suspect a damaged underground cable, reportedly exposed during recent roadwork, was the source of the electrical current.
Over 200 people blocked the Tiruvottiyur Highway for nearly two hours, demanding accountability and immediate safety measures. The protest dispersed only after police intervention and assurances of action.
“This isn’t an accident—it’s criminal neglect,” said Nafeel’s father, Altaf Hussain. Residents added that electric shocks had been reported for several days but no TNEB staff had turned up. “We warned them. We begged them to act. This was preventable,” one resident said.
Locals say exposed power lines—both overhead and underground—remain a persistent danger in the area.