Sanguem
On Wednesday, August 27, two brothers, Rajendra Kashinath Gaonkar (46) and Mohandas Kashinath Gaonkar (40), died of electrocution at Sirsorem, Rivona in Sanguem. Quepem Police have booked Jaya Gaonkar (65), a resident of Sirsorem, on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, for alleged negligence.
The incident occurred after the brothers came in contact with a live electric wire that had allegedly been placed across a plantation to stop wild animals from entering.
The brothers, who ran a dairy business with 25-30 cattle, had gone to a nearby pasture to cut green fodder ahead of the Ganesh festival. When they did not return, villagers launched a search and found their bodies about a kilometre from home, lying close to each other near a rickshaw partly filled with grass.
Sources said one brother may have first touched the live wire and collapsed, while the other died trying to rescue him. Heavy rain and waterlogging at the spot are believed to have worsened the situation.
Minister for Social Welfare, Subhash Phaldessai, visited the site and urged the electricity and forest departments to act against the misuse of electric fences. Calling the incident “highly disturbing,” he asked farmers to be careful when installing such fences. He noted that while measures are needed to stop rising damage to farms by wild animals in Sanguem taluka, safety should not be ignored. Phaldessai also assured help to the brothers’ elderly mother, who is now alone.
Zilla Panchayat member Suresh Kepekar also demanded a thorough inquiry.
Investigations have revealed that while solar-powered fences are allowed for animal control, the fence in this case allegedly used a regular electricity connection, which is now under probe.
The last rites of the brothers were held today, attended by hundreds of locals. Their father had died a couple of years ago after a fall from a coconut tree.
