‘Only one man was trapped inside’: Father of fireman killed in Peeragarhi

Amit is survived by his wife, parents, younger brother Anuj who is pursuing his B.Tech and two elder sisters who are married.

Assistant sub-inspector Baburam Baliyan and his son Amit Baliyan, a new recruit in the Delhi Fire Service, left their house on Wednesday morning together for their respective offices. Amit’s wife, Shalini, who he married less than a year ago, was at work in Ghaziabad. Amit’s birthday was a few weeks away, and the family was planning a party for him. But it was the last time Baburam saw his son. On Thursday morning, around two hours before Amit was expected to return home after completing his 24-hour shift at Kirti Nagar fire station, Baburam got a phone call that has “changed their lives forever.”

Babu Lal Baliyan and other family members of firefighter Amit Baliyan at their Meet Nagar house in New Delhi. (Raj K Raj / Hindustan Times)

“The call was from one of his colleagues who told me he is stuck inside a building that had collapsed after a massive fire. He said my son is buried beneath heavy debris. I am posted in the government railway police and was in my office at Anand Vihar railway station, when I got the call around 9.30am. By 10.30am, I was in Peeragarhi, at the fire spot. By the time I reached, they had rescued two of the trapped firefighters. When I asked who was still inside, they said only one — my son,” said Baburam.

He said, after a struggle of around half an hour, the rescuers pulled out his son’s body from the debris, but he was already dead. “I have spent more than two decades as a policeman. When I got a glimpse of my son’s body, I knew he was dead. They tried to revive him but failed. He was rushed to a hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead on arrival,” the ASI said.

Amit had not even been married for a year. “He got married on February 25 last year. We broke the news of his death to his wife, a constable in the Uttar Pradesh Police, only after she came home from work,” his father said.

Amit is survived by his wife, parents, younger brother Anuj who is pursuing his B.Tech and two elder sisters who are married. The family belongs to Shamli in Uttar Pradesh.

Baburam would make a phone call to his son at 6pm everyday. On Wednesday, he forgot to make the call — a regret Baburam said he would bear for the rest of his life.

“I got busy with work and thought I will meet him on Thursday morning when he returns after work. We didn’t know the biggest tragedy of our life was heading our way,” Baburam said.

However, he said, what he will always be proud is that his son laid his life in public service and for his job.

Remembering his brother, Anuj said Amit always wanted to be in a job where he gets to serve the public. “He was enjoying his job as a firefighter and always talked about its challenges and how important his work was,” Anuj said.

The family had planned a party on January 18 — Amit’s birthday. “February 25 was his first wedding anniversary. We were thinking of planning a joint celebration. Now everything looks scattered,” he added.

On Thursday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a relief of ₹1 crore for the family.

Kejriwal tweeted, “Amit Baliyan laid down his life while serving the people of Delhi. Nothing can bring back a loved one lost, but Delhi govt will provide his family with ₹1 crore as financial assistance. It’s the least we can do as a society.” (Sic.)

Reacting to this his brother said they are thankful towards the government’s gesture but nothing can replace the loss their family has undergone.