A mother is seeking answers from her son’s employer after he tragically died while working at a site in Suva. Anit Anitesh Ram, who lived in Vunivau and worked for Energy Fiji Limited (EFL), reportedly experienced a fatal electrical shock while on duty on Tuesday.
His mother, Puspha Wati, received a call from EFL around 9:22 AM, informing her that Ram had been taken to Oceania Hospital following the incident. The Ram family is mourning the loss of their only provider.
“I quickly tried to arrange a flight from Labasa to Suva to check on Anit’s condition, but after an hour, I received a call from my relatives informing me that he had passed away,” Ms. Wati recalled. She tried multiple times to reach out to her son’s supervisor but was unsuccessful and reported that she had received no communication from his employer regarding the matter.
Ms. Wati asserted that her son was a diligent employee who would never act irresponsibly at work, and she is demanding clarity from EFL. “Typically, EFL is prompt to send out advisories about power outages, including on the day my son died when a power shutdown cut a parliamentary session short. Yet, when it comes to communicating about the loss of their staff, they remain silent,” she stated.
An email requesting a statement from EFL concerning the incident had not received a response by the time this article was published.
Ms. Wati shared that Ram had joined EFL in November of the previous year and had applied for a transfer to be closer to his family. “My husband and I are unwell, and recently Anit reassured us not to worry about anything, promising he would return soon,” the 45-year-old mother said.
Ram celebrated his 26th birthday on August 11, and in their last conversation a day before his death, he expressed excitement about participating in the Labasa Sanatan soccer tournament.
“We devoted many years to raising him, hoping he would have a good life and care for us in our old age, but now we feel like we have lost everything,” she lamented. Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro reported that the victim was found unresponsive and is believed to have been electrocuted, although the police are awaiting post-mortem results to confirm the cause of death.