Showroom owner held after four staffers die in west Delhi fire, families allege cover-up
The fire broke out around 3pm on Monday on the first floor of the four-storey showroom, which was stacked with fridges, washing machines and other appliances.
A day after four staffers died in a fire at an electronics showroom in west Delhi’s Raja Garden, police on Tuesday arrested the owner, Manas Mahajan, for alleged negligence that led to five people being trapped on the second floor of the building. Mahajan owns Mahajan Electronics and its other branches across Delhi. He has just been booked under BNS 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire) and 106 (negligence leading to death), police said, adding that he has not yet been produced before a magistrate.
The fire broke out around 3pm on Monday on the first floor of the four-storey showroom, which was stacked with fridges, washing machines and other appliances. The victims were identified as Aayushi Gupta, 21; Payal Singh, 20; Amandeep Kaur, 22; Ravi Kumar, 28; and Sandeep, 25, police said. They were on the second floor having lunch when they got trapped.
Police said there was no fire extinguishing equipment on the second floor. Officials from the Delhi Fire Services added that the building did not have a fire safety No Objection Certificate (NOC) as mandated under Delhi fire safety norms.
A senior police officer probing the case said the victims were seated in a narrow corridor when the fire began. “When the fire broke out, they tried to rush downstairs, but there was only one exit, and it was blocked due to heavy smoke. The employees then rushed upstairs and tried to reach the terrace, but the door to the terrace was locked. Further, there were no windows on the entire floor. They tried to get help, but it got too late. We spoke to doctors who said the four persons who died suffered due to suffocation,” the officer said.
The Delhi Fire Services confirmed the challenges during the rescue, noting that the building had only one entry point. “We had to drill a hole in the building to reach the victims,” an official said, adding that the second floor was stacked with appliances and boxes, leaving no space to move. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, police said.
{{/usCountry}}The Delhi Fire Services confirmed the challenges during the rescue, noting that the building had only one entry point. “We had to drill a hole in the building to reach the victims,” an official said, adding that the second floor was stacked with appliances and boxes, leaving no space to move. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, police said.
{{/usCountry}}DCP (West) Vichitra Veer confirmed Mahajan’s arrest and said proceedings have been initiated against him. HT reached out to store staff and the owner, but staffers declined to comment, while the owner’s family did not respond to calls.
{{/usCountry}}DCP (West) Vichitra Veer confirmed Mahajan’s arrest and said proceedings have been initiated against him. HT reached out to store staff and the owner, but staffers declined to comment, while the owner’s family did not respond to calls.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, families of the deceased alleged that the showroom staff misled them after the incident. Vandana Singh, sister of Payal Singh, said her 20-year-old sister had been the sole breadwinner since their father’s death. “She started working two months back. Had we known it was an unsafe place, we would have never sent her. I got a call around 6pm, hours after the incident took place. Two employees told me she was injured in a small accident... I finally found out about her death from the police. My mother kept praying for her survival. She is traumatised. What will we do now? Who will support us?” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, families of the deceased alleged that the showroom staff misled them after the incident. Vandana Singh, sister of Payal Singh, said her 20-year-old sister had been the sole breadwinner since their father’s death. “She started working two months back. Had we known it was an unsafe place, we would have never sent her. I got a call around 6pm, hours after the incident took place. Two employees told me she was injured in a small accident... I finally found out about her death from the police. My mother kept praying for her survival. She is traumatised. What will we do now? Who will support us?” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Aayushi Gupta’s family also levelled similar allegations. Her brother, Saurabh Gupta, told HT, “She was only 21 years old. She worked in the accounting and sales department. We received a call around 6.30 pm about the incident. We were not told about the fire or her death. I went to the hospital and found that the company people had already identified her at the hospital, and the body was sent to the mortuary... We waited the entire night and saw her body on Tuesday… a day later. Staffers kept misleading us and told us that she got injured. If she had died, why didn’t they tell us? They wanted to get her married, and she had joined the job to start saving for her wedding. The owner and senior management never came to talk to us.”
