Guard defies death,shames

Of the many stories of tragedy and valour the Stephen Court fire has thrown up,the one that unfolded last night was incredible.

Khusiram Tiwari,a durbaan (gatekeeper),was surreptitiously pushed inside one of the offices on the fourth floor by its owner and asked to guard the property lest it got looted on Tuesday night when the fire had broken out and ravaged a large part of fought and fifth floors.

Truly his masters,Tiwari stayed put there for nearly 48 hours from March 23 night to March 25 night till firemen broke open the door to find him inside. Tiwari was traced inside a locked room last night and then brought down.

The danger lurking in the dilapidated and burnt structure of Stephen Court on Tuesday night when the fire was still smouldering did not deter Tiwari from obeying the orders of his master,one N Sahani,whose fourth-floor office was located near the second lift.

His masters words his command,Tiwari made a dash,dodging past firemen and policemen,before he locked himself inside.

My master was scared his valuables will be stolen. So he asked me to go inside the building and guard his shop. I followed his orders,fearing I might lose the job if I did not. I had entered the building at night when the police vigil was not so strict. Perhaps,they did not notice me entering the building, said Tiwari after being rescued last night.

Significantly,after the fire ravaged the Stephen Court building,the police and civic officials had sealed it off. It was only today that the residents were allowed inside the building to collect their valuables.

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