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Migrant couple, five kids burnt alive in Ludhiana shanty fire
Of the five kids burnt alive along with a migrant couple in the Ludhiana shanty fire, one was just aged 2, say police. The incident occurred when the family members were deep asleep in their hut located close to the main garbage dump of the municipal corporation
Seven members of a migrant family from Bihar were charred to death after a fire broke out in their shanty at Makkar colony here on Wednesday. The deceased include five children, with the youngest being a two-year-old boy.
The incident occurred close to the main garbage dump of the municipal corporation on the Tajpur Road. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Joint commissioner (rural) Ravicharan Singh Brar said the fire broke out around 1.30 am when the family was asleep in their hut.
Fire brigade officials said they came to know about the incident at 2.30 am and a fire tender from the Sundar Nagar station was immediately rushed to the spot.
The deceased have been identified as Suresh Sahni, 55, his wife Rauna Devi, 50, their four daughters Rakhi, 15, Manisha,10, Chanda,8, Geeta, 6, and son Sunny, 2. The couple’s eldest son Rajesh, 17, had a providential escape as he was sleeping in a nearby shanty with his friend Ajit.
Surprisingly, no one in the neighbourhood claimed to have heard the screams of the family members. The family hailed from Samastipur district in Bihar and depended on ragpicking to earn a living.
Rajesh told police that his friend’s brother was first to notice the shanty in flames and raised alarm. “There was a kundi connection to the hut. We are trying to find out whether short-circuit was the reason behind the fire,” said police.
It is also suspected that the fire might have started due to a splinter of burning garbage from the nearby dump nearly 20-25 ft away from the shanty. Multiple fire incidents have been reported at the dump site for the past six days and the fire brigade was seen dousing the flames on Wednesday too, but it was on the other side of the dump.
It was a close shave for two others sleeping in the nearby shanty. The fire had spread to their shanty but the residents managed to douse it.
Fireman Rajinder Singh said the family members had succumbed to burn injuries before they could reach the spot. Police said Sahni’s relatives have been informed about the incident and the bodies have been sent to the civil hospital for autopsy. Viscera samples have been sent for chemical examination.
