Rajasthan CM orders inquiry into Jhunjhunu electrocution; 8 labourers dead, 5 hurt
Synopsis
Eight road-construction workers are dead and five are burned after a concrete-mixing machine's hydraulic jack touched a live high-tension wire in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district. Four of the eight victims were from the same family. Villagers are protesting, alleging the electricity department had ignored unsafe overhead cables — and that no one answered the substation phone when they called to cut power.
Key Takeaways
Eight labourers were killed and five others sustained burn injuries in Chapoli village , Jhunjhunu district , Rajasthan on 2 November 2026 .
The accident occurred when the hydraulic jack of a concrete-mixing machine touched an overhead high-tension power line during road construction.
Four of the deceased — Hariram, Mangalchand, Kaluram , and Pawan Gurjar of Haleda Mandawara — belonged to the same family.
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma ordered a high-level inquiry , sought a report from the District Collector , and deputed Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra to the site.
Villagers staged a protest alleging electricity department negligence and claimed the Grid Substation was unstaffed when they called to cut power after the accident.
Former minister Rajendra Gudha demanded a government job for one member of each victim's family.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Monday, 2 November 2026, ordered a high-level inquiry into a fatal electrocution accident in Jhunjhunu district that killed eight labourers and left five others with burn injuries. The tragedy struck Chapoli village in the Udaipurwati area when the hydraulic jack of a road-construction machine made contact with an overhead high-tension power line, sending lethal current through workers operating nearby.
How the Accident Unfolded
The workers were engaged in road construction — mixing gravel and sand using a concrete-mixing machine — when its hydraulic jack touched an overhead high-tension electricity wire. The electric current spread rapidly through the machinery, striking labourers operating and standing in close proximity. Udaipurwati Station House Officer (SHO) Rampal confirmed the incident to authorities.
The five injured labourers were rushed to the Udaipurwati Community Health Centre (CHC), where they are currently undergoing treatment.
The Deceased and the Injured
All eight victims have been identified. Four of the deceased — Hariram Gurjar (30), Mangalchand Gurjar (22), Kaluram Gurjar (29), and Pawan Gurjar (23), all residents of Haleda Mandawara — belonged to the same family. The remaining four — Vishnu Saini (38), Surendra alias Suresh Saini (30), Mukesh Saini (27), and Fatehchand Saini (32) — were residents of Chapoli village.
The five injured have been identified as Mahendra, son of Banwari Lal Saini; Geeta Devi (45), wife of Madan Lal Meghwal; Santra Devi (35), wife of Satish Meghwal; Gidaram (45), son of Dhannaram Saini; and Manju Devi (38), wife of Rajesh Kumar.
Government Response
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma expressed deep concern and offered condolences to the bereaved families. He sought a factual report from the District Collector and directed officials to ensure prompt, quality medical treatment for the injured. He also ordered a high-level inquiry into the circumstances that led to the accident and instructed authorities to extend all possible relief to the affected families.
Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra has been deputed to visit the accident site and meet the families. Local MLA Bhagwanaram Saini and DSP Sugan Singh also reached the spot following the incident.
Villagers Allege Negligence, Stage Protest
Angry residents of Chapoli village staged a protest after the accident, alleging negligence by the district administration and the electricity department. They claimed that several electricity poles and overhead wires were already in contact with trees in the area — a hazard that, they contend, had gone unaddressed.
Villagers further alleged that when they contacted the Grid Substation (GSS) to request an immediate power shutdown after the accident, no staff member was available to respond. The allegation, if verified, points to a systemic failure in emergency responsiveness.
Political Calls for Accountability
Former minister Rajendra Gudha demanded that one member from each victim's family be provided a government job as compensation. He stressed that the tragedy should not become a matter of political posturing and urged that immediate support to the affected families remain the priority. He also called on the District Collector to personally visit the site and reassure the families of full assistance.
The high-level inquiry ordered by the Chief Minister is expected to examine whether the electricity infrastructure in the area posed a foreseeable risk to workers and whether safety protocols were followed on the construction site. Its findings will be closely watched by rights groups and opposition parties alike.
Point of View
And that the substation was unmanned during a crisis, describe a failure of routine maintenance and emergency preparedness, not an unforeseeable freak event. High-level inquiries ordered from Jaipur are a standard governmental response to such tragedies, but without accountability reaching the officers responsible for electricity pole maintenance and construction-site safety enforcement, they rarely change behaviour. The demand for government jobs as compensation — a recurring political reflex in Rajasthan after industrial deaths — sidesteps the harder question of why safety enforcement on public-works contracts remains so weak.
NationPress
2 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Jhunjhunu accident on 2 November 2026?
Eight labourers were killed and five others suffered burn injuries after the hydraulic jack of a concrete-mixing machine, used for road construction, made contact with an overhead high-tension power line in Chapoli village, Udaipurwati area of Jhunjhunu district, Rajasthan. The electric current spread through the machinery, striking workers operating near it.
Who are the victims of the Chapoli village electrocution?
The eight deceased are Hariram Gurjar (30), Mangalchand Gurjar (22), Kaluram Gurjar (29), and Pawan Gurjar (23) — all from Haleda Mandawara and belonging to the same family — and Vishnu Saini (38), Surendra alias Suresh Saini (30), Mukesh Saini (27), and Fatehchand Saini (32) of Chapoli village. The five injured are Mahendra (son of Banwari Lal Saini), Geeta Devi, Santra Devi, Gidaram, and Manju Devi.
What action has Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma taken?
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma ordered a high-level inquiry into the circumstances of the accident, sought a factual report from the District Collector, and directed officials to ensure quality medical treatment for the injured. He also deputed Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra to visit the accident site and meet the affected families.
Why are villagers protesting after the Jhunjhunu accident?
Residents of Chapoli village allege that electricity poles and overhead wires in the area were already in unsafe contact with trees — a hazard the authorities had not addressed. They also claim that when they contacted the local Grid Substation to request an emergency power shutdown after the accident, no staff member was available to respond.
What compensation has been demanded for the victims' families?
Former minister Rajendra Gudha demanded that one member from each victim's family be provided a government job. He urged that the priority be immediate support to the affected families and called on the District Collector to personally visit the site.
