‘There was no escape route’: Families mourn young victims of Lucknow fire tragedy

New Delhi, June 23 (IANS) Grief-stricken families are mourning the deaths of 28-year-old Sanyam Vij and 25-year-old Surajbhan Singh, who were among the 18 victims of the devastating fire that swept through a commercial building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area on Monday.

Speaking to IANS, Gaurav, Sanyam Vij’s maternal uncle, recalled the moment the family learned about the tragedy.

“We came to know about the incident around 8:30-9 P.M last night. We received a phone call from a friend, who informed Sanyam’s mother. After that, we learned about what had happened. As soon as we got the information, we left for Lucknow by car,” he said.

Sanyam had been working in the animation field for the past five years and regularly travelled home on weekends. “He was supposed to come home tomorrow as the family was mourning the death of his grandmother,” his uncle added.

Another relative alleged serious lapses in safety measures at the building. “There has clearly been administrative negligence. The place should not have been allowed to operate in such conditions. It is being said that there were no proper stairs or any fire escape route to get out in case of an emergency,” he said.

Meanwhile, Surajbhan Singh’s brother, Sudhir, said the family was still trying to understand the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. “We have been told that the incident happened due to a short circuit. However, we do not yet have complete details to share,” he said, adding that Surajbhan had been working at an animation company.

Authorities on Tuesday said that 15 of the 18 victims have been identified. The deceased include Shahjan, Sukhmani Singh, Aditya Srivastava, Jwanil Chakraborty, Sagar Pant, Nilesh, Sayyam, Bhavishya, Jyoti, Abdul Rahman, Anamika Samant, Suraj Singh, Md Ammar and Teejraj, all residents of Lucknow, along with Somalya from South 24 Parganas in West Bengal.

Most of the victims were reportedly between 20 and 24 years of age. Officials said the families of the deceased have been informed. Two injured persons, identified as Lavpreet and Jayant, both residents of Lucknow, are undergoing treatment at King George’s Medical University.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered against the owners of the commercial building and others in connection with the tragedy. The case has been lodged at Aliganj Police Station against six named individuals under Sections 105, 110, 125 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Investigators are probing alleged fire safety violations and other lapses that may have contributed to the deadly blaze.

Three building owners (Ramkrishna Upadhyay, Virendra Prasad Shukla, and Tushank Krishna Jaiswal) were arrested. Hours later, police updated that a fourth accused person (Suresh Kumar Sahu, the studio operator) had also been taken into custody.

–IANS

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