Agartala: April 13: The tragic death of Tapas Nama Das, an outsourced worker of the Electricity Corporation, has triggered widespread unrest at Agartala’s GB Hospital and across the electricity department. Tapas, who sustained serious injuries after falling from a height while on duty, succumbed to his injuries on Saturday night despite receiving treatment at the hospital.
The news of his passing has deeply shaken his colleagues, who accuse the private company he worked for of gross negligence. They allege the company failed to provide timely support, both medically and financially, after the accident, raising serious questions about the treatment of outsourced workers in high-risk jobs.
An aggrieved electricity worker told reporters, “We risk our lives every day, but our salaries are meager. We spend from our own pockets for transportation and barely manage to run our households. When accidents like this happen, the companies abandon us. It happened to Tapas today—tomorrow it could be any of us. How can we work peacefully under such insecurity?”
On Sunday morning, workers assembled at GB Hospital, and tensions rose as Tapas’s body was being moved to the morgue. The protest intensified when demonstrators blocked the road outside the electricity department, demanding justice. The situation escalated further when an official from the hiring company was confronted and physically assaulted by angry protesters.
Tapas’s coworkers are demanding a comprehensive investigation into the incident, fair compensation for his grieving family, and a permanent job for a family member. They are also calling for better working conditions and accountability from private contractors.
In response to the growing unrest, a large police presence has been deployed at the electricity department office to prevent further escalation. The incident has sparked a larger conversation about the rights and safety of outsourced workers in the electricity sector.
