New Delhi, Oct 31 Police have summoned the owner of a shoe manufacturing factory in Mangolpuri Industrial Area, where a fire killed four workers and injured two others, even as investigators questioned contractors and workers to ascertain how many people were inside the building.
Police said on Saturday that they arrested two people, identified as Suresh Chand and Ashok (47), while teams have been formed to trace other absconding accused.
The fire broke out around 9:30 pm on Friday at the factory in northwest Delhi’s Mangolpuri Industrial Area Phase-I. Officials said as many as 31 fire tenders were pressed into service, and the blaze was brought under control around 6 am on Saturday. Fire officials said the fire started in the building’s basement; the building had a ground floor and three upper floors, plus a partially constructed structure on the fourth floor.
During the rescue operation, one worker was found unconscious on the third floor and five others in a room on the fourth floor. Police said all six workers were rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead.
Officials identified the deceased as Ashok (25), a native of Nalanda in Bihar; Harihar (40), a resident of Mangolpuri; Lal Babu (38); and Prem Chand (50). The injured have been identified as Vikas and Harinder.
Hospital officials said Vikas was stable and receiving oxygen support in the emergency department, while Harinder was on ventilator support in the intensive care unit.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Vikram Singh said police had summoned the factory owner. Police also questioned the contractor and workers to establish the total number of employees present at the unit, he said.
Police registered an FIR at the Raj Park police station under Sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 125(a) (rash or negligent act that endangers human life or personal safety and causes hurt), 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 3(5) (Common intention) of the BNS.
Fire officer Paras Kumar said the basement was heavily engulfed in flames when fire personnel reached the spot, while smoke had spread to the upper floors, making the rescue operation difficult. After firefighters brought the fire under control, they began cooling the building to prevent a fresh flare-up and continued inspecting the affected areas. Officials said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Relatives of the deceased alleged that they had received no communication from the factory owner after the incident. Mukhdev, a relative of Harihar, said the family had been asked to come to the hospital to identify the bodies after learning that some workers had died and others were injured. “We tried calling him, but his phone was switched off, which made us anxious. We came rushing, but nobody let us meet him,” he said, adding that Harihar had a wife, a son and a daughter.
Umesh Prasad, a relative of Ashok, said the worker had spoken to his family shortly before the fire broke out. “He spoke with his family around 9:10 pm. Around 9:20 pm, he said there had been a fire in the factory and asked them to cut the call. That was the last time they spoke,” he said.
Local workers alleged that the factory had limited exit options and that employees on the upper floors could not come down after smoke filled the building. They said workers had no emergency exit to escape through. These claims are part of the concerns being raised after the incident and are yet to be independently established by investigators.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed grief over the loss of life. She said she had directed officials to ensure proper treatment for the injured, assistance for affected families, and expeditious relief work. She said officials were monitoring the situation.
(PTI News)
