Five children die as house catches fire

According to Aligarh police,Murari Lal Jatav is a rickshaw-puller. He was living with his wife and six children in Sahibabad at the city’s outskirts. He had recently constructed a pucca house. But as it had no permanent roof,he had covered it with bamboos and plastic sheets.

On Friday night,Jatav was sleeping in a tent outside the house with her wife Anar Devi and one year old son Neeraj. The other children — Virendra (12),Pushpendra (10),Pradeep (8),Teetu (4),and Kajal (5) — were sleeping in the house.

“As there was no electricity connection,the family had lit a candle and left it inside,” said Ravi Tyagi,Station Officer,Sasni Gate. The bamboos and plastic sheets caught fire. “When Anar Devi saw the flames,she and her husband came to rescue the children,but the door was locked from the inside. By the time parents,alongwith other locals,broke into the house,all five children had died.”

An immediate relief of Rs 60,000 has been provided to the family. “A recommendation has also been made to provide them help from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund,” said K Ravindra Nayak,District Magistrate,Aligarh.