Dhanendra Kumar, first chief of competition panel, dies in AC blast fire at Delhi home
Eighty-year-old Kumar was declared dead at the AIIMS Trauma Centre where he was taken after the incident. His son, also hospitalised, was said to be out of danger.
Dhanendra Kumar Dhanendra Kumar, a retired IAS officer who served as Executive Director at the World Bank and became the first Chairman of the Competition Commission of India, died after a fire, suspected to have been triggered by an explosion in an air conditioner, broke out at his Hauz Khas home in South Delhi Wednesday night, police said Thursday.
Eighty-year-old Kumar was declared dead at the AIIMS Trauma Centre where he was taken after the incident. His son, also hospitalised, was said to be out of danger.
Senior police officers said the incident took place late Wednesday night on the ground floor of the house where Kumar, his wife and son and two domestic workers were present.
DCP (South) Anant Mittal said, “At 11.18 pm Wednesday, a PCR call regarding a fire at House No. R-15, Hauz Khas was received at the Hauz Khas police station. Police and the Fire Service responded immediately. Two fire tenders extinguished the blaze.”
Delhi Fire Service officers said the fire broke out in an indoor unit of an AC on the ground floor of the three-storey house. It soon spread to wooden articles kept on the ground floor, and reached the window panes on the first floor. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
DCP Mittal said, “Two persons were shifted to hospital, including Dhanender Kumar, 80, a retired IAS officer. He succumbed to smoke inhalation during treatment at the AIIMS Trauma Centre. His son is under treatment and is stated to be out of danger.”
Officers said electrical inspectors were looking into the possible reasons for the AC blast, including short-circuit and overheating.
“Running an AC for long hours at minimum temperatures like 18 degrees celsius consumes a lot of energy, and can lead to the unit overheating. What could have been the issue in this case will be clear once the electrical inspectors send a report,” a police officer said.
Kumar, a 1968-batch IAS officer from the Haryana cadre, held several key positions in the state and Central governments. He served as Principal Secretary to Haryana Chief Minister, Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Culture. He became the first Chairman of the Competition Commission of India in 2009.
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