Farmer and son electrocuted by illegal electric fence in Vellore
The two men died on the spot after stepping on a snapped live wire intended to keep wild boars away from their farmland.
A farmer and his son were electrocuted on Thursday after stepping on a snapped live wire of an illegal electric fence in Palankuppam, near Pernambut town in Vellore, according to The Hindu.
The deceased have been identified as 75-year-old S. Ranganathan and his son, 45-year-old R. Suresh.
Both were residents of the village and cultivated paddy and groundnuts on a five-acre plot.
Ranganathan and Suresh had gone to the farmland to check saplings in a recently created garden. While checking the saplings, Ranganathan stepped on the snapped wire and was electrocuted. Suresh rushed to rescue him but was also electrocuted by the same wire.
The illegal fencing was reportedly erected to prevent wild animals, specifically wild boars, from entering the fields. The village is located at the foothills of the Jawadhu Hills.
Neighbours and other farmers disconnected the power supply and informed the Melpatti police, who sent the bodies for postmortem. A case has been registered and a probe is underway to determine who erected the illegal fence.