Twin infants, three kids among 6 killed in fire at Meerut cloth trader's house
Meerut (UP) (PTI): Tragedy struck a cloth trader's family here when six members, including four-month-old twin sisters and three other children, perished in a fire triggered by a suspected electrical malfunction at its three-storey house, officials said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred around 8 on Monday night at Kidwai Nagar in the Lisadi Gate area. Seven people were admitted to hospital with burn injuries, of whom six died, Meerut SSP Avinash Pandey told reporters.
Police confirmed the deaths after midnight.
The house belongs to Iqbal Ahmed, whose family is engaged in tailoring and an online garment business. A large quantity of clothing material was stored on the ground floor, which officials said could have aided the rapid spread of the fire.
The blaze is suspected to have been caused by an electrical fault in a machine or home appliance, they said.
The deceased have been identified as Rukhsar (25), Mahbish (12), Hammad (4), Akdas (4), Nabia and Inayat (4 months).
The twins and the other children were the offspring of Iqbal Ahmed's sons, Farooq and Aseem. Aseem's wife, Rukhsar, also died in the incident. One injured woman, Ameer Bano (55), is undergoing treatment, police said.
According to officials, some male members of the family had gone to offer Taraweeh namaz at the nearby Surahi Wali Masjid when the fire broke out, leaving others inside the house.
Mohammad Farooq said he was at the mosque when he received a call about the blaze.
"By the time I returned, a huge crowd had gathered. The blaze killed my daughter, my son, my younger brother's twin daughters and his son. My elderly mother survived, though her blood pressure shot up due to the shock," he said.
Eyewitness Raisuddin said residents rushed to the spot after hearing screams from inside the house and alerted the police and fire department.
He said fire tenders could not reach the exact location directly because of the narrow lanes in the locality.
Another eyewitness, Salman, said the fire allegedly broke out due to a short circuit and quickly assumed massive proportions.
Local resident Aamir said Aseem's elder daughter had gone to her maternal grandmother's house at the time of the incident, which saved her life. However, his wife and other children were present in the house and were caught in the blaze.
A Dial 112 response vehicle reached the spot within three minutes of receiving information, followed by four fire tenders, Pandey said.
The narrow lanes posed a major challenge for firefighters, who deployed motorcycles and accessed the house from adjoining rooftops. Fire personnel also broke a wall to gain entry into the building.
While five people were rescued from the first floor, those trapped on the second floor were engulfed by dense smoke and flames. The priority was to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to adjoining houses, the SSP said.
He also hailed the role of a good Samaritan in the rescue operations.
Chief Fire Officer Surendra Singh said seven people were pulled out and taken to a nearby private hospital before being referred to a medical college, where six succumbed.
District Magistrate V K Singh, who visited the spot, said a detailed inquiry has been ordered. Officials from the electricity department have been sent to the site, and their findings are awaited.
Officials said the family gave in writing that they did not want post-mortem examinations conducted and have not sought any government assistance so far.
The victims were laid to rest at the Bale Miyan cemetery in Nauchandi on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, residents said no such incident had occurred in the locality earlier, and a pall of gloom has descended on the area following the tragedy.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the bereaved family and had directed officials to expedite relief measures, an official statement said.
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Karnataka power tussle: BJP leader calls Siddaramaiah 'Sultan for 15 days'
Bengaluru/Bagalkot (PTI): In the midst of the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, senior BJP leader and MP Govind Karjol called CM Siddaramaiah "Pandrah din-ka-Sultan" (Sultan for 15 days), and said after that, he will not be the chief minister of the state.
Speculation has once again surfaced within the Congress party and political circles about a possible decision on leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results for Assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, are announced.
"With the fight for the CM chair in the Congress, there seems to be no administration at Vidhana Soudha. The result for Siddaramaiah's CM chair fight will also be declared, along with election results for five states (four states and one union territory) and bypoll results for Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly seats in Karnataka," Karjol, a former Deputy CM, said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "As per today's information, Siddaramaiah is a Sardar for fifteen days, he is Pandrah din-ka-Sultan, after that Siddaramaiah will not be the chief minister of the state."
Stating that Shivakumar is ready to take up the top job, the MP said that this is the reason Siddaramaiah's supporters have gone to New Delhi to meet the Congress President.
"Already 40-odd legislators have lobbied in support of Siddaramaiah; about 50 are lobbying in support of Shivakumar. Amid this fight for the CM chair, the administration has completely collapsed," he said, urging the government to focus on addressing drinking water issues in various parts of the state amid summer by releasing at least Rs 50 crore per district.
PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Monday met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and General Secretary (in charge of Karnataka) Randeep Surjewala in New Delhi and requested them to address the speculation regarding the change of leadership in Karnataka.
Subsequently, Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa too met the party leadership in Delhi.
Both Jarkiholi and Mahadevappa are considered close to Siddaramaiah.
While MLAs and leaders who want Shivakumar to be elevated as CM have recently claimed they expect some "sweet news" by May 15, which is their leader's birthday.
Meanwhile, a team of 40 MLAs is preparing to visit New Delhi to press the Congress high command for a Cabinet reshuffle.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka hit out at the Congress leadership for indulging in "power tussle" instead of addressing the people's concerns. He called the government "anti-people" and "dead" to the people of the state.
With the fight for the CM chair, the ruling Congress in Karnataka seems to be shifting to Delhi. Congress MLAs are repeatedly touring Delhi, upset over the state leadership amid a power struggle between the CM and Deputy CM. This proves that there is no value for the state leadership," he said.
Pointing out that the Deputy CM Shivakumar was not present at the recent special cabinet meeting, which decided on internal reservation among SCs, the opposition leader said, "If the cabinet meeting was held purposely, despite knowing that Shivakumar was in Delhi, it proves that there are factions within the party"
"This government is dead in a way," he said, as he hit out at the Congress MLAs and Ministers, including Shivakumar, for doing "Delhi Yatras" instead of addressing drinking water issues in various parts of the state amid summer, picking up in the state.
