Things are Not Always What They Seem! Joule Burns in Electrocution—A Report of Four Cases

Abstract

The police dispersed a crowd of University undergraduates with tear gas, and four of these students were later found dead around an advertisement pole carrying a plastic encasement displaying the picture of ‘Gold Leaf’ cigarette. It was alleged that the students were killed by the police. Autopsy of the four students revealed electric burns scattered all over the body. These burns were later found to be situated at points where the body had made contact with the advertisement pole. The pole was later examined by a team of electrical engineers and found to have a severe earth fault which on test resulted in a potentiation of 175 volts between the body of the sign post and the immediate surrounding. It was the source of the electric current that caused the death of the students.