New Delhi, For 42-year-old Kanta Prasad, who was one of the three persons who was charred to death in a fire early Tuesday, every drop of sweat shed as a labourer was a step closer to his daughter’s wedding which was just two months away.
Living in a cramped 20-square-foot makeshift tent, he dreamt of a brighter future for his daughter. But fate dealt a cruel blow his home turned into a fiery grave, reducing his dreams to ashes.
Kanta Prasad , his elder brother Shyam Singh and another labourer Jaggi were charred to death when a massive fire gutted a makeshift tent near the AGCR Enclave at Anand Vihar in East Delhi, an official said on Tuesday.
All three were from Auraiya in Uttar Pradesh and they worked as labourers here, police said in a statement, adding that asphyxiation due to fire killed them.
The three along with Kanta Prasad’s father Rampal and Nitin Singh had dinner in the tent located near the DDA plot on Manglam Road around midnight.
Kanta Prasad’s neighbours said they also had alcohol after which their Rampal left for work nearby. Only Shyam used to sleep inside the tent. However, due to less workload, the remaining three also decided to sleep there.
Shyam Singh is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the spot and announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh to each affected family. She assured the family members of all possible assistance and assured proper investigation into the incident.
Gupta expressed deep sorrow and said, “The Delhi government stands with the affected families. While the government cannot compensate for the loss of lives, financial assistance of ₹10 lakh will be provided to the families of the deceased.”
According to a police statement, the fire took place due to a small container of diesel placed on a cooler stand to light the hut, leading to the death of the three people, while Nitin managed to survive by jumping off the wall boundary. He sustained minor injuries, it said.
However, the family of the two siblings Kanta Prasad and Shyam Singh and neighbours suspect foul play, questioning how Nitin managed to survive while the three of them died.
Suman , the younger sister of Kanta Prasad and Shyam Singh, was visibly shaken. She raised concerns about Nitin managing to escape the fire.
“How is it possible that both my brothers died while he escaped without any harm? My brothers have been toiling here for so long.
“In fact, Kanta’s daughter was about to get married and both of them were trying hard to earn more money so that they could marry her off nicely. Now, what we will do?” she said.
Shyam Singh’s neighbours, who lived about 20 steps away in makeshift tents on the same ground, also pointed out discrepancies in Nitin’s statement.
“We saw them preparing dinner around 11 pm on Monday. Then we went inside our tents and slept.
“Around 3 am, we were woken up by the police when we saw the tent on blaze,” Shivanth , who lives in a tent nearby, said.
He also said Nitin, who managed to escape, told everyone including him that the rest of the people had escaped from the front.
“He kept saying that they had escaped and didn’t tell us anything more when we asked about their whereabouts. However, when the fire was brought under control, three bodies were recovered,” he said.
Shivnath’s wife Malti also said while they lived in a makeshift tent, Shyam Singh’s tent was sturdier and made properly.
“It was better than ours and hence, to escape through the roof seems a little far-fetched. He did not even tell us where the rest went after escaping and said that he doesn’t know about that,” she said.
The area has been cordoned off by the police with items like utensils, buckets, bottles of liquor, a gas stove, a fan and a match box among other things still lying there.
“While they had no enmity and had been living here for more than a decade, statements from Nitin raise some suspicion,” she said.
The Delhi Police has registered an FIR against unknown persons in the case.
“We have registered an FIR at the Anand Vihar police station under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita . Multiple teams have been formed to probe the incident,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Prashant Gautam said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Leave a Reply