NEW DELHI: A day after a fire at a residential building in Shahdara led to the deaths of four people,
police
arrested the
building owner
and his
grandson
in the case on Saturday. Police have invoked Section 304 of IPC, which pertains to an act of culpable homicide, against the accused.
The
arrested
men were identified as Bharat Singh (72) and Mohit (27).
The duo have also been booked under Section 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) of IPC. The role of a few others is also being probed, and similar set-ups at other houses in the area are being checked.
During the investigation, police found a series of lapses on the part of the building owners, which allegedly contributed to the tragedy. "Besides illegally stocking up combustible material like rubber and wipers, the owners had allegedly locked the terrace, which hindered victims' escape, and the staircase became a death trap," said a senior officer.
While inspecting the spot, cops discovered large quantities of combustible materials stored on the ground floor of the residential building, which was being used as a godown. This hazardous stockpile is likely to have acted as a catalyst and accelerated the spread of the fire, the official said.
Cops had registered a case hours after the incident and started a probe in consultation with the fire department. The building had ground plus four floors, but only a single staircase. An illegal factory was operating on the ground floor, and it was suspected that someone carelessly threw a lit beedi or a cigarette on the combustible materials, which ignited the fire.
The deceased have been identified as Gauri Soni (40), her son Pratham (17), Rachna (28) and her daughter, who was nine months old. Those injured include Prabhawati (70) and Gauri's daughter Radhika (16). Except for Prabhawati, who was on the first floor, all the others were on the second and third floors.
The incident took place around 5.15 pm. The fire department and the police control room, which were alerted at 5.22 pm, rushed to the spot. Cops found some people trapped in the building. With the help of a few passersby and PCR, three of the trapped people were rescued. Thereafter, two fire tenders arrived, and with the help of firemen, three more people were rescued.
Those rescued were rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur hospital. Of the six injured, four people were declared dead.
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