Maharashtra rains: Negligence or accident behind Thane teen death after electric shock? Here's what locals claim

A 17-year-old girl has just become the latest in a series of freak accidents in Maharashtra that have so far killed at least four people.

The victim, Aliya Mohammad Sajid Chandiwala, had barely stepped out of the Yasmin Apartment in Thane's Mumbra area at around 8:30 PM, when she was allegedly electrocuted in a waterlogged area near her building's iron gate.

Soon after the incident, which took place during heavy rains, the girl was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

While the police have sent her body for a postmortem, locals have alleged that Aliya died due to "negligence", which they had been pointing out "for months".

"The cable runs right through the drain. With the rains approaching, we urged the authorities to clip the cable up. We are tired of saying this over and over again," a local told NDTV, adding that even after calling for help, the electricity department was difficult to reach.

In his police complaint, Aliya's father has alleged recurring voltage fluctuation issues had been reported to Torrent Power repeatedly since June 15, but no corrective action had been taken.

A similar case was reported on Wednesday, when a sweet shop worker in Bhiwandi suffered a severe electric shock after getting exposed to a live wire while running an errand.

The 26-year-old, identified as Mustafa Shaikh, is survived by a wife and a child, a Times of India report noted.

Protests against the temple management and the power utility responsible for his death escalated after the protesters alleged that the latter had sent people to cover up the exposed wiring that killed Shaikh.

This comes just days after the death of 11-year-old schoolboy Vihaan Shrivastava after a massive peepal tree crashed onto a school bus in Mumbai's Chembur district. 

Four other children were also injured in the incident that has led to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) facing fresh backlash.

A probe is on to find out how the influence of various factors on the tragedy, such as the ageing roadside trees, excavation, road construction, and heavy rainfall.

Vihaan's death was followed by that of 60-year-old Aslam Isak Sheikh, who fell into an open manhole while walking, in Mumbai's Chandivali area.

Civic officials explained that three contractual workers had removed the manhole cover to carry out maintenance work when Shaikh, who had allegedly been talking on his mobile phone, accidentally stepped into the opening.

The four incidents have renewed concerns over civic safety in Maharashtra, especially Mumbai, during the monsoons, with demands growing for stronger accountability and preventive measures to avoid further loss of life.