Two children were charged to death, and a man was injured in a massive fire that broke out at a slum cluster in Northwest Delhi’s Rohini on Sunday. Fire engulfed around 800 shanties.
Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief Atul Garg informed the public via the social media platform X that the crowd at Bengali Basti near Sri Niketan Apartment was extremely hostile during firefighting operations. “DFS Javans are doing their best,” wrote the DFS chief on social media. However, locals claim that fire tenders took a long time to arrive.
According to firefighters, the tenders were unable to enter the narrow lanes surrounded by boundary walls of the nearby society, and it took them three hours to extinguish the fire. At around 2.05 pm, the bodies of two children, one a 2.5-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy, were found. The children have not yet been identified, and the search for other missing people is also ongoing.
The reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained. The official said that it started from one jhuggi and quickly spread to another. Video footage from the incident shows charred trees at the entrance of the jhuggi with fire officials trying to douse the fire.
Delhi CM Criticised
After the incident, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta posted on X, expressing her condolences that “The Delhi government is taking all necessary measures to support the victims. The local MLA and SDM immediately reached the site to coordinate relief efforts, including the provision of mobile toilets, medical assistance, and food for the affected residents.”
Opposition leader Atishi criticised Rekha Gupta for not visiting Rohini slums. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, also visited the spot and met the victims.
