NEW DELHI: In May, wedding bells were set to ring in Kripa Shankar’s house. His son was to marry three months from now. The fire at the paint factory in northwest Delhi’s Alipur on Thursday has tragically silenced those bells.
Kripa’s family members were present at the mortuary of Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital on Saturday identifying the charred bodies of those who perished in the inferno.Speaking to TOI, brother Hari Shankar said the fire victim had just completed building the house. He also planned to marry off his daughter after his son’s nuptials in May.
“The last time we spoke,” said Hari, voice thick with grief, “he mentioned some money to be paid to a contractor. We first learned about the fire from TV news. Then a panicked call from a relative confirmed our worst fears.” The deceased had planned to attend a relative’s wedding on March 3 and had bought a train ticket for the journey.
The brother said Kripa had been working for the factory owner for over 15 years, starting with a salary of Rs 5,000 which had risen to around Rs 15,000 over time. He was the family’s sole breadwinner and their loss is immeasurable, the brother said.
Harish Chand Yadav was also the only earning member in his family and was similarly planning the marriage of his 20-year-old daughter, Sudha. “Every day, my brother used to call us, but on Thursday he didn’t phone us,” said brother Satender Yadav. “When we called him, we found his phone switched off. Worried, we contacted other relatives, who told us about the fire.”
Harish’s son was inconsolable. “I am in Class X, and I know my father worked hard to support my education,” the boy wept. “I was focusing on r my board exams. Then this happened. Now, our future appears bleak.”
Apair of shoes and a bangle became the heart-breaking means by which family members identified Mira and Rampar vesh, both workers at the factory where a fire claimed 11 lives. Mira’s mother, recognising a familiar bangle and chunni, confirmed her daughter’s fate. “Her face was completely charred but it was the bangle which led to her identification,” she said. Mira lived with her 11-year-old son Lakshay in a rented accommodation in Alipur.
“Mira began working at the factory on Feb 1, driven by the dream of funding her son’s education and securing a brighter future for him,” Kalicharan, a relative, said. According to family members, Lakshay came running around 7.30pm on Thursday and told them that his mother hadn’t reached home after the factory had caught fire. “We rushed to the spot, but it was too late,” the relative added.
Ramparvesh’s sister identified him by his shoes, having just cleaned the pair for her brother a day earlier. Sunita said her brother didn’t want to go to the factory on the fateful day because he had planned to attend a procession. “His boss called him and asked him to come to the factory to work on a Holi order,” she said.
Kripa’s family members were present at the mortuary of Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital on Saturday identifying the charred bodies of those who perished in the inferno.Speaking to TOI, brother Hari Shankar said the fire victim had just completed building the house. He also planned to marry off his daughter after his son’s nuptials in May.
“The last time we spoke,” said Hari, voice thick with grief, “he mentioned some money to be paid to a contractor. We first learned about the fire from TV news. Then a panicked call from a relative confirmed our worst fears.” The deceased had planned to attend a relative’s wedding on March 3 and had bought a train ticket for the journey.
The brother said Kripa had been working for the factory owner for over 15 years, starting with a salary of Rs 5,000 which had risen to around Rs 15,000 over time. He was the family’s sole breadwinner and their loss is immeasurable, the brother said.
Harish Chand Yadav was also the only earning member in his family and was similarly planning the marriage of his 20-year-old daughter, Sudha. “Every day, my brother used to call us, but on Thursday he didn’t phone us,” said brother Satender Yadav. “When we called him, we found his phone switched off. Worried, we contacted other relatives, who told us about the fire.”
Harish’s son was inconsolable. “I am in Class X, and I know my father worked hard to support my education,” the boy wept. “I was focusing on r my board exams. Then this happened. Now, our future appears bleak.”
Apair of shoes and a bangle became the heart-breaking means by which family members identified Mira and Rampar vesh, both workers at the factory where a fire claimed 11 lives. Mira’s mother, recognising a familiar bangle and chunni, confirmed her daughter’s fate. “Her face was completely charred but it was the bangle which led to her identification,” she said. Mira lived with her 11-year-old son Lakshay in a rented accommodation in Alipur.
“Mira began working at the factory on Feb 1, driven by the dream of funding her son’s education and securing a brighter future for him,” Kalicharan, a relative, said. According to family members, Lakshay came running around 7.30pm on Thursday and told them that his mother hadn’t reached home after the factory had caught fire. “We rushed to the spot, but it was too late,” the relative added.
Ramparvesh’s sister identified him by his shoes, having just cleaned the pair for her brother a day earlier. Sunita said her brother didn’t want to go to the factory on the fateful day because he had planned to attend a procession. “His boss called him and asked him to come to the factory to work on a Holi order,” she said.