Man spits gutkha from 3rd-floor balcony, dies after coming in contact with 11kV wire

​Gupta, a mason originally from Chhatarpur, had been living in the rented house for the past 10 years.

BHOPAL: Spitting gutkha from his third-floor balcony may have cost a 65-year-old man his life after he reportedly came in contact with an 11kV high-tension power line in Ganjbasoda, in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district, on Friday afternoon.Prabhulal Gupta was standing on the balcony of his rented house in Gayatri Nagar around 1pm when the incident occurred. According to local residents, the stream of saliva he spat while chewing gutkha came in contact with the overhead wire, leaving him severely burnt.Gupta, a mason originally from Chhatarpur, had been living in the rented house for the past 10 years.Electrical experts said such an incident could occur under certain conditions.

Saliva contains moisture and dissolved salts, which can make it conductive. If a continuous stream of fluid reached a live conductor, it could potentially provide a conductive path for electricity.Experts also said an 11kV line could produce an electrical arc under suitable conditions. If the balcony was sufficiently close to the conductor, electricity could jump through the air. If an electrical path through the body was established, the resulting shock could cause severe burns or death.

The incident triggered anger among residents, who alleged that the electricity company had ignored repeated complaints about high-tension wires passing dangerously close to houses.One of Gupta’s landlords said electricity poles, wires and distribution transformers in the locality were in poor condition. Residents had repeatedly complained about the 11kV line passing close to homes, but their concerns had not been addressed.

Landlord Padma Chidhar said she had also approached electricity officials several times, seeking the removal of the line. Officials had assured her that it would be shifted, but no action followed, she alleged.