The fire in outer Delhi’s Sultanpuri broke out barely an hour after the victims— Anjali and her niece Aditi— had returned home from a family wedding.
Saturday was the wedding ceremony of Rahul, who is Anjali’s brother-in-law. Anjali was seven months’ pregnant.
Around 3 a.m., the women returned home from the function, while the men stayed back at the venue.
Caught unawares
Anjali and Aditi decided to sleep on the first floor, while three-four other women slept on the ground floor. Around 4 a.m., a fire broke out from an air-conditioner located on the ground floor, engulfing the curtains and doors. By the time anyone could wake up, the machine’s compressor exploded and the fire had engulfed nearly the entire building. Anjali’s daughter Tavishka suffered 60% burns and was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital. She is under treatment.
Recounting the horror, Rahul’s mother Rajvati said, “According to our custom, women do not witness the ritual when a couple takes rounds of the fire at a wedding. So, we all returned home. Never did we think that such an incident would happen.”
Case of negligence
Meanwhile, the family and neighbours accused the fire department of late response. A case of causing death by negligence and under other relevant IPC provisions has been registered.
