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KOCHI: A 54-year-old man died after his motorcycle hit a fallen electric pole at Kumbalam in Ernakulam in the early hours of Saturday. The incident sparked protests from local residents, who

blamed the police and KSEB officials for the delay in removing the pole that posed a threat to the lives of commuters. The deceased has been identified as Abdul Gafoor, a resident of Aroor

and an Usthad (religious teacher) at a mosque in Kumbalam. According to police, the accident occurred around 4.30 am while Gafoor was on his way to the mosque for morning prayers. A newly

installed electric pole, not yet connected to power lines, had collapsed onto the road near St Mary’s School around 3 am during heavy rain. Unaware of the obstruction, Gafoor crashed onto

the post and sustained serious injuries. He was rushed to a hospital by police but succumbed to his injuries. Prior to this accident, another two-wheeler rider, a pujari had also crashed

onto the same pole and sustained injuries. He was shifted to a nearby hospital. By morning, officials from KSEB and the Fire and Rescue Services removed the pole from the road. The Panangad

police have registered a case and launched an investigation. Gafoor’s body was handed over to his relatives after a postmortem examination. Local residents have expressed anger over what

they describe as a negligent and delayed response from authorities. Simi Joby, member of Pravanam ward in Kumbalam panchayat, criticised the lack of prompt action, and the failure to place

warning signs or barricades. “It took several hours for the authorities to clear the pole from the road, even though the public had alerted them early in the morning. At the very least, some

kind of warning should have been placed to alert motorists. In the meantime, two accidents occurred, one of which turned fatal,” she said. Responding to the criticism, Panangad police

officials said they attempted to move the concrete pole twice in the early morning hours but were unable to do so as it was too heavy. “We alerted KSEB and Fire and Rescue officials. Our

team tried twice to remove the pole but couldn’t, as it was a heavy concrete structure. While our personnel were still at the spot, we received an alert about another urgent incident and had

to redirect our personnel,” a police officer stated. Authorities have since moved the pole to one side of the road. KSEB officials attributed the delay to a shortage of staff during the

early hours.