The deceased, identified as Sanjib Chouhan, was a member of the Jhalak Masterpara Puja Committee. He was the son of Shyamlal Chouhan, a resident of the Masterpara neighbourhood in Gouripur municipality.
The fatal accident occurred near the Jhalak Puja Mandap as organisers were preparing to take the idol to a designated immersion site, bringing a tragic end to the religious celebrations for the victim’s family.
According to local residents and members of the organising committee, the Jhalak Masterpara Puja Committee had arranged the annual Durga Puja celebrations in the neighbourhood.
On Wednesday evening, preparations were under way to transport the idol from the worship pavilion to the Ananta Sagar pond, located near Rajendra Kishore Government High School.
The idol had been placed on a truck for the journey. As the vehicle was leaving the pavilion, an electrical wire was found hanging across the road, obstructing its passage.
Sanjib attempted to move the wire aside with his bare hand to allow the truck to proceed. He immediately suffered a severe electric shock and was critically injured.
People at the scene rushed to his assistance and took him to Gouripur Upazila Health Complex. However, the attending doctor declared him dead upon arrival.
The sudden death left his wife, Sheela Chouhan, grieving the loss of her husband and the father of their two children.
Recalling their final conversation, Sheela said her husband had asked whether she would accompany him to the idol immersion ceremony before leaving home.
“Before leaving home, my husband asked me whether I would go to the immersion ceremony. I told him I would. That was our last conversation,” she said.
“Later that night, I heard that my husband had been electrocuted. My two children have now lost their father.”
Her account highlighted the devastating personal consequences of an accident that occurred during preparations for the concluding ritual of Durga Puja.
Ajit Chouhan, president of the Jhalak Masterpara Puja Committee, confirmed that Sanjib was a member of the organising committee and had been helping with the arrangements for the immersion ceremony.
“Sanjib was a member of our Jhalak Masterpara Puja Committee. He was electrocuted while attempting to move an electrical wire hanging over the road as the idol was being transported from the pavilion to the immersion site,” Ajit said.
He also accused those responsible for the pavilion’s decorative lighting and electrical installations of negligence.
According to Ajit, an electrical leakage in the wiring installed at the pavilion was responsible for the accident. He claimed the death could have been prevented if the electrical connections had been properly inspected beforehand.
“The accident happened because there was electrical leakage in the pavilion’s wiring. Had those responsible checked the wiring for leakage, this tragedy could have been avoided,” he alleged.
However, the precise cause of the electrical fault has not been independently established, and no official findings regarding the alleged negligence were available.
Durga Puja is one of the most significant religious festivals celebrated by the Hindu community in Bangladesh. The celebrations traditionally conclude with the immersion of Goddess Durga’s idol in a river, pond or another designated waterbody.
The immersion ceremony often involves transporting large idols on trucks or other vehicles, sometimes through narrow residential roads where overhead electrical cables can present serious hazards.
Temporary lighting arrangements and electrical connections are also widely used at festival venues. Such installations require careful inspection and maintenance, particularly when they are positioned near public roads or areas used by large vehicles.
Electrical wires hanging across transport routes can become dangerous obstacles. Attempting to move a live wire without disconnecting the power supply or obtaining professional assistance carries a potentially fatal risk.
The circumstances surrounding Sanjib’s death have therefore raised concerns about the safety of temporary electrical installations and the precautions taken during religious processions.
Meanwhile, Officer-in-Charge Habibur Rahman of Gouripur Police Station confirmed that police had visited the scene after receiving information about the incident.
“We received information that a person had died after being electrocuted at a puja pavilion. Police subsequently visited the location,” he said.
The officer added that necessary legal action would be taken if a formal complaint was submitted.
Police did not provide further details about whether any investigation into the electrical installations or the alleged negligence had begun.
The incident has brought attention to the importance of ensuring safe electrical arrangements during religious festivals, particularly when temporary wiring and large vehicles are involved.
For Sanjib’s family, however, the consequences are deeply personal. What began as preparations for the final ceremony of Durga Puja ended in the loss of a husband and father, leaving his wife and two children facing an uncertain future.
