Daijiworld Media Network - Sanguem
Sanguem, Aug 30: A tragic incident has left the village of Sirsorem in Sanguem grieving, after two brothers died of electrocution while collecting fodder for their cattle ahead of the Ganesh festival. The victims, Rajendra Kashinath Gaonkar (46) and Mohandas Kashinath Gaonkar (40), were found dead on August 27 near their pastureland, allegedly after coming into contact with a live electric wire illegally laid to deter wild animals.
The brothers, known in the community for running a modest dairy business with around 30 cattle, had left home early that morning to gather green grass. When they didn’t return, worried villagers began searching and eventually found their lifeless bodies close to each other near a rickshaw filled with freshly cut fodder. Locals suspect one of the men was electrocuted after unknowingly touching the live wire, while the other may have died trying to save him.
Police have booked a 65-year-old resident, Jaya Gaonkar, under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. According to investigators, the electric fence that caused the deaths was not solar-powered – as legally permitted – but connected directly to a power line, raising serious concerns of negligence and illegal installation. The area was reportedly waterlogged due to recent rains, likely increasing the severity of the electrocution.
Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phaldessai visited the site and described the incident as "deeply distressing." He urged the forest and electricity departments to crack down on unsafe electric fencing practices. “There’s a growing problem of wild animals damaging crops in the Sanguem region,” he said, “but safety must never be compromised.” Phaldessai also assured government support to the brothers’ elderly mother, now left alone after the loss of her sons and the earlier death of her husband, who had died in a fall from a coconut tree.
Local Zilla Panchayat member Suresh Kepekar has demanded a thorough investigation and strict accountability. The community, shaken by the sudden deaths, turned out in large numbers for the brothers’ funeral, which was held earlier today.
The incident has sparked fresh debate over the dangers of unregulated electric fencing and the need for urgent regulatory enforcement in rural areas facing increasing human-wildlife conflict.