- At least 15 students died and 24 were hospitalized after a Lucknow building fire
- Victim Sukhmani Singh had called his father at 2:15 pm, reporting a fire and asking for help
- Fire started in ground-floor animal shops and spread, trapping many inside the building
"My child said, 'Papa, there's a fire, please save me.'"
That was the last call 23-year-old Sukhmani Singh made to his father on Monday. His family could not reach him in time.
Sukhmani Singh was among those killed after a massive fire broke out in a building in northwest Lucknow's Aliganj area on Monday, leaving at least 15 students dead.
The fire, which raged for over an hour, trapped several people inside, with some students jumping from the first floor in a bid to escape.
A total of 24 people were taken to hospital, of whom 15 were declared dead. Witnesses said the fire started on the ground floor in shops dealing with animals and gradually spread through the building.
Families Recall Final Moments
Sukhmani Singh had called his father around 2:15 pm, saying there was a fire in the office and asking for help, his father Prabhjot Singh and brother told NDTV. But they could not save him.
"My child said, 'Papa, there's a fire, please save me,'" his father, Prabhjot Singh, and his brother told NDTV that around 2:15 pm, Sukhmani called his father and told him, "There's a fire in the office, please save me."
Another victim, Aditya Srivastava, remained trapped inside as thick smoke filled the building for nearly two-and-a-half hours, his mother later recalling how she believes quicker help could have saved him.
"The children could have been saved if a little more effort had been put in. If help had been provided earlier instead of making videos, some lives could have been saved. Perhaps my son would have been saved," Aditya Srivastava's mother said.
A friend described Aditya as "very promising" and said she had planned to meet him just last week. "Why does God call good people so quickly?" she asked.
Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman's death has left his family struggling to cope. His friend Saddam Sheikh told NDTV that Abdul lived in a rented house. His father is paralysed, his mother is a homemaker, and Abdul was the only earning member in the family.
"He got a job about 8-10 months ago and was very happy. I met him a week ago and spoke to him two days back," he said.
With his death, his aging mother and paralysed father have been left alone. His two sisters are married.
Investigations And Arrests
Following the incident, four officials were suspended, two from the Lucknow Development Authority and one each from the electricity and fire departments.
A two-member Special Investigation Team has been set up to investigate the fire.
Police have registered a case against six people under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Act. Four people have been arrested. Those arrested include Ram Krishna Upadhyay (43), Virendra Prasad Shukla (62), Tushar Krishna Jaiswal (31), and Suresh Kumar Sahu.
Officials said the accused are joint owners of the building.
Fresh details emerged from the deadly fire in Lucknow that claimed 15 lives, with residents alleging faulty electrical wiring and the lack of proper exits worsened the tragedy.
Locals told NDTV that despite the installation of 20-25 air conditioners, wiring was done only for 10KW load, while a single exit left children trapped as the fire spread.
Building Had Faced Action Earlier
The Uttar Pradesh government said the building had been issued a demolition order in 2016 over unauthorised construction, but the order was revoked within two months.
Originally allotted in 1980 to Vijay Kumar under a hire-purchase scheme, the property was later registered in his and his wife's name in 2005.
It was sold in 2013 to Virendra Pratap Shukla and Surendra Pratap Shukla, with mutation completed in 2014.
The building, spread across about 1,992 square feet, was granted approval the same year for a residential-use plan under a self-certification scheme.
(With inputs from Vivek Shahi)
