Rajasthan: Child actor, his brother die of asphyxiation in Kota apartment blaze
The apartment’s drawing room was completely gutted, with fire stains visible in other parts of the house as well.
Two brothers, including a 10-year-old TV actor, died of asphyxiation after a fire broke out in their fourth-floor flat at Deepshri Multi-Storey Apartment in Kota’s Anantpura area late Saturday night around 2am when they were asleep, the police said.
According to the police, the victims were identified as the 10-year-old television actor, who was to feature as a young Saif Ali Khan in an upcoming movie, and his 15-year-old brother, who was preparing for IIT. Their mother, actress Rita Sharma, was in Mumbai at the time of the incident, while their father Jitendra Sharma, who is a teacher at a coaching institute, was attending a religious function.
Superintendent of police Tejaswini Gautam, who reached the spot with forensic experts, said the blaze destroyed the drawing room, furniture, air-conditioner, television, and other electrical equipment. Even the curtains were completely burnt. The police have kept the bodies in the mortuary, awaiting the arrival of their mother, following which the post-mortem will be conducted.
Gautam said the neighbours noticed smoke billowing from the flat and rushed to break open the door. They managed to pull the unconscious children out and rushed them to a private hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. Initial investigation suggested a short circuit as the cause of the fire. The tragedy was compounded as the air-conditioner was on, with all doors and windows closed, leading to thick smoke filling the rooms and causing suffocation.
The apartment’s drawing room was completely gutted, with fire stains visible in other parts of the house as well. The father has expressed a wish to donate both children’s eyes, the mother said.
