Jagran Correspondent, Kharkhoda: Fifteen people died in a tragic fire incident at an animation centre in Lucknow's Aliganj on Monday. The blaze was so intense that the firefighters had to conduct a dousing operation for hours and drill from the side of the building to rescue those trapped inside the three-storey building.
The video from the site showed people jumping from the first floor to save their lives. Pets, including cats and dogs, from the veterinary shop on the level beneath the animation centre, were also rescued.
Among the deceased was Bhavishya Sharma, a 23-year-old man from the Mahipur village in Haryana's Sonipat. The news of his death caused mourning throughout the village. Bhavishya had recently completed an animation course and was looking for employment.
He came from a humble background. His father is a teacher in a private school, while his mother works as a homemaker. About 15 days ago, he got a job at Head Hoppers, the animation centre involved in the fire incident.
Last video call
On June 6, he left home for Lucknow with new hopes and dreams for his family. Video call amid raging fire. According to Bhavishya's family members, he made a video call to his mother while he was trapped in the building during the fire.
In a panicked voice, he had told her that the building was on fire and that smoke was engulfing the area. Bhavishya told her that he might not survive the blazes. This was his last conversation with the family as his phone had suddenly disconnected. The family tried repeatedly to contact him but received no information.
Bhavishya's mother immediately alerted other family members, who then left for Lucknow. A search there led to the discovery of Bhavishya's body at KGMU. It was reported that there were no visible signs of burns or external injuries, and it is suspected that he died from suffocation.
Bhavishya was the family's only son and dreamed of fulfilling many family responsibilities, including his sister's wedding. But the son, who had set out to make a living, returned home with tragic news. His last rites were performed amid a mournful atmosphere in the village of Mahipur.
4 arrested, 4 officials suspended
The police have registered a case at Aliganj police station and arrested four accused: Ram Krishna Upadhyay (43), a resident of Sector-D, Aliganj; Virendra Prasad Shukla (62), a resident of Sitapur Road area; Tushar Krishna Jaiswal (31); and Suresh Kumar Sahu, a resident of Keshavnagar (Lucknow).
The administration also suspended four officials: Gaurav Kumar (XEN, Connections, Energy Department, Jankipuram), Kamalendra Kumar Singh (FSSO, Indiranagar Fire Station), LDA junior engineers Anil Kumar and Pramod Pandey.
CM forms SIT, summons LDA vice chief
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has formed an SIT with Amrit Abhijat, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Charitable and Culture Department, and Praveen Kumar, Additional Director General of Police, Lucknow Zone a members. The SIT has been asked to submit its report within 7 days.
The CM has summoned Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) Vice President Prathamesh Kumar with an action report at 5 pm on Tuesday.
The CM has asked the LDA VP to provide complete details of the total number of seal notices issued in all seven zones of the city from January 1 till now, along with their ground-level implementation and demolition.