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MEERUT: In a freak incident, a 20-year-old B.Tech student died while four others received serious burn injuries when an electric line fault led to passage of 11,000 volt current in over 100 houses in Kuan Patti area of Meerut ’s Incholi village on Sunday afternoon. The high-voltage current caused all the electric appliances in use in these houses at the time of the accident to explode one after the other. One of the houses was also gutted in fire.

Angry residents blocked the national highway 119 soon after the accident and local authorities had to rush to the spot to pacify the agitators. The electricity department also issued a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the deceased boy. A probe has been ordered.

“All the electrical appliances that were working at the time of the fault, which led to the supply of 11,000 volt current in 110 houses here, burst and got charred. One man died, four got injured and a house here caught fire,” superintendent of police (rural) Rajesh Kumar said.

Satendra Das, 20, a B.Tech second-year student, died while he was plugging in his phone charger. Three women, namely, Bijjo (50), Sahiba (32), Anjum (35) and a local man, Mohammad Shaakir (38), received burn injuries. Bijjo received 70% burn injuries and is critical while others received less than 30% burns. The house of one Shaatir Ahmad caught fire after his TV set exploded.

SB Yadav, chief engineer, Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PVVNL), said, “We are yet to ascertain the cause of the incident. An inquiry has been set up. Satendra’s family has been given a cheque of Rs 5 lakh. The three women who got serious burns have been admitted to hospital and those who received minor burns have been sent home after primary treatment.”

After the incident, locals placed the victim’s body on the NH-119 and blocked it for many hours. Additional district magistrate (city) Mukesh Chandra, SP (rural) Rajesh Kumar led a heavy contingent of police to negotiate with the protesters. The blockade could be lifted only in the evening.

