A policeman at the spot in east Delhi on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV
Three persons died in a fire that broke out in a makeshift hut in east Delhi’s Anand Vihar in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, said a senior police officer.
The deceased have been identified as Jaggi, 30, Shyam Singh, 36, and Kanta Prasad, 37, all residents of Auraiya in Uttar Pradesh. Shyam and Kanta were siblings. Nitin, 32, a Ghaziabad resident who was also in the hut when the fire broke out, managed to escape with injuries, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam.
He added that a case has been registered against unknown persons under Section 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and an investigation is under way.
While the police said that the four persons were “casual workers of Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL)”, the gas distribution company denied the claim.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the site and announced an ex gratia of ₹10 lakh to the kin of the deceased.
Atul Garg, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief, said they received a distress call at 2.22 a.m. on Tuesday about a fire near a DDA plot on Manglam Road in Anand Vihar.
“Three fire tenders were rushed to the site. The fire was contained by 2.50 a.m.,” said the DFS chief, adding that three charred bodies were found inside the hut.
Preliminary probe
According to the preliminary probe, the occupants used to light an oil lantern in the hut and lock it from inside before going to sleep, the DCP said.
He added that Mr. Nitin told the police that around 2 a.m., Shyam raised alarm about a fire around the lantern.
“Nitin could find a way out somehow and managed to escape, but the others couldn’t,” said the DCP.
After a while, a gas cylinder inside the tent exploded, engulfing the entire hut in flames.
“Rampal, the father of Shyam and Kanta, also lived in the same hut, but had stepped out after dinner. The statements of Rampal and Nitin have been recorded,” the officer said. The main cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, he added.
The IGL termed the incident “unfortunate”. It added, “There are reports that IGL workers have been charred to death after a fire in Anand Vihar. While this unfortunate fire incident deeply saddens us, we would like to clarify that the incident is unrelated to IGL’s operations. The deceased were not a part of IGL’s workforce.”
Published – March 12, 2025 12:52 am IST