A student of Karnataka Polytechnic, who was working in a canteen at Government Wenlock Hospital, died allegedly as a result of electrocution early on Monday.
The Mangaluru South police identified the victim as Aneesh B. Suvarna, 21, a resident of Bajal.
Aneesh’s father Bhagwan Das Suvarna, a conductor on the Route 27 bus, said his son worked in the canteen, located near the physiotherapy unit of the hospital, for the last three years. He worked the night shift and slept in the canteen. He would leave at 6 a.m. to the polytechnic where he was pursuing the ITI course in civil engineering.
On Monday, he woke up at 4 a.m. and served some customers tea. CCTV footage shows him cleaning the canteen with water. He is seen touching the cash box initially and withdrawing possibly due to a shock. He is then seen opening the drawer of the cash box to deposit the cash given by the customers and collapsing.
Aneesh was immediately rushed to the hospital where he succumbed around 5 a.m. “Fate has stuck us hard. A promising career of my son has come to an abrupt end,” said Mr. Bhagwan Das. Aneesh was youngest of his two children.
Samad, one of the two partners running the canteen, said the canteen was being managed on the land leased out to them by the hospital. They had built the structure of the canteen. “Only on few occasions have I experienced a slight shock when touching objects in canteen. But this incident has really come as a shocker. There is no live wire near the cash box,” he said. He praised Aneesh for his dedicated service at the canteen.
Many students and staff of Government Wenlock Hospital turned up at the mortuary. “A well-behaved boy who won many hearts with his service. We cannot forget the days he served alone for several days at the canteen during the lockdown,” said an electrician at the hospital.
Several of Aneesh’s PU and Polytechnic classmates also turned up to pay their last respects.
The Mangaluru South Police have registered a case under Section 304 of Indian Penal Code against the owners of the canteen.
