‘Made Rs 20,000 a month, it was good money’: Among Goa fire dead, 5 from Uttarakhand

Manish was among the 25 people killed in the fire at a Goa nightclub late on Saturday night. Of the 25 dead, 21 were staff at the club, earning between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 a month.

Like Manish, four others from Uttarakhand who worked at the club died in the blaze. According to their families, due to financial constraints, most of them left home to provide for their families right after they finished school.

Manish had recently got his passport made to apply for a job in Thailand. “He was filing for a visa and was to come home on December 31. We had not seen him for long, and today, I had to carry his body to the bier. How did this day arrive?” asks his father, his voice cracking as he speaks to The Indian Express over the phone.

The family received the news of the death at noon on Sunday, after their calls to Manish went unanswered. Manish would call every morning after his shift ended at 7 am. On Sunday, when he did not call, the family called him multiple times till noon.

“Something felt amiss, and I asked our nephew, who works in another hotel in Goa, to check in on him. In a few minutes, we were told that he was dead,” says Krishan Mahar.

The only income for the family of four was the money Manish would send back home. His younger brother is preparing for the exam to join the Agnipath scheme.

“Our only support has been stolen from us. This is gross negligence and should be met with strict action, so others become more careful. No one else should go through what we feel,” the father says.

Across the Sarayu River, which separates Champawat and Pithoragarh districts, another family mourns the loss of their son, 35-year-old Surendra Mahar. He was also cremated on Tuesday morning.

Surendra’s family was informed about the incident on Sunday night by the revenue official of the area. Surendra’s younger brother, Mahendra Mahar, says, “He (the revenue official) asked us who Surendra Mahar was and told us to rush to Goa. Another brother of mine, who works in Mumbai, was told that he died in the fire and that the body would be handed over the next day. He collected it and came home last night.”

Surendra leaves behind his wife, father, mother, and two brothers. He had been working in Hyderabad when he got an offer in Goa three months ago. “He had gone because of desperation at home. Anyone who gets any opportunity flees the village,” says Mahendra, who drives a truck in Pithoragarh.

The family also knew Manish Mahar from across the river. “He was also like a brother to us…,” says Mahendra.

Another man from Uttarakhand who died in the fire was Sumit Negi from Pauri Garhwal. His friend, Sachin Rawat, brought the body back. Sachin worked in a club 15 km away from the one that caught fire on Saturday night.

Sumit’s last rites were conducted in Haridwar on Monday evening. He was the sole earner in the family, which comprises his wife, their eight-month-old daughter, his parents, and two sisters. Sumit has been working at the club for seven months and was planning to come home for his daughter’s first birthday.

Sachin says he also worked till morning and did not have his phone with him when the fire incident took place. “When I got out at 7 am, someone told me that there was a fire at a club nearby, but I didn’t know the extent of the incident. I called Sumit, but he didn’t answer. Later, a friend called to tell me that over 20 people had died,” he says. At 1.30 pm on the same day, Sachin went to look for him at the club. “I didn’t know if bhai was one of those affected. I asked the cops there, and they sent me to the police station. They told me to visit the hospital, and I found him there,” he says. The duo were childhood friends, having grown up in Chhani village of Garhwal.