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Magisterial probe ordered into Jhansi fire, death toll rises to five
₹4 lakh ex gratia each to next of kin of the victims; 60 fire tenders take 14 hrs to control blaze, says DM
District magistrate of Jhansi Ravindra Kumar on Tuesday ordered a magisterial inquiry to find out the reasons for the massive fire at two showrooms of electronic items in a three-storey building in Sipri Bazar area of Jhansi on Monday in which death toll rose to five even as fire tenders contained the blaze after nearly 14 hours.
Nearly 60 fire tenders, including those called in from Madhya Pradesh, were pressed into service for controlling the fire. Sub-divisional magistrate, Sadar, Mritunjaya will conduct the inquiry, he said. The DM further said the victims’ families were being given a financial assistance of ₹4 lakh each.
“The post-mortem examination was conducted through the night by a panel of doctors and the bodies were handed over to the family members early on Tuesday,” he added. As per Kumar, a team of public works department was to technically assess the safety of the building on Tuesday. A decision whether to raze the building or not would depend on the report of the PWD team, he said.
Meanwhile, reports suggest the building in which the fire broke out has only one point for both entry and exit. Besides, the building does not have any emergency exit system either.
“These people could have been easily taken out in case there was an emergency staircase or separate entry and exit points,” said a fire department official. The victims were identified as Rajini Rajput (59), an assistant manager with United Insurance company, Hridyesh Tomar (32), Amir Khan (38), Anuj Savita (37) and Prakash Chandra (58), said Rajesh S, SSP, Jhansi.
Of them, Rajini Rajput, who was in her office located in the building, was first rescued and rushed to hospital where she succumbed on Monday. Later, two charred bodies from the ground floor and one from the first floor of the building were recovered when fire department personnel were looking for survivors.
Two victims Amir Khan and Anuj Kumar Savita were on the first floor when the fire broke out. As it intensified, they moved into the bathroom but could not survive. “They called people outside talking about their inability to come out. They were sitting under the tap hoping to survive. They were available on phone for 15 minutes they became unreachable,” said a fireman who had spoken to the duo.
While the fire is said to have been caused by short circuit in one of showrooms, SHO, Sipri Bazar police station, Sanjay Shukla said the police were investigating the exact reason for the blaze. “The CCTV cameras installed all over the places have melted. So, it is quite hard to find out from where the fire first started. Now, we are seeking help of forensics,” he said.
As per eyewitnesses, Sipri Bazar remains closed on Mondays while offices open. At the time of the incident, the electronics showrooms—Value Plus and VR Traders—and that of United Insurance were open. About 40 people were working, they claimed.
Moreover, the owners of the two showrooms are blaming each for the fire and claim they suffered a loss of ₹35 crore. Neeraj Sahu, the owner of VR Traders, alleged that the short circuit in Value Plus showroom caused the fire. On the other hand, Sanjeev Kumar of Value Plus claimed that short circuit in large electronic display board of VR Traders led to the fire.
