Delhi Mall Fire Tragedy: A disturbing voice message from Kumar Dhirender Pratap, who was 25 years old and an aspirant for UPSC, has generated outrage as he passed away in a raging fire at Vishal Mega Mart, Karol Bagh. Stranded in a smoke-filled elevator, Pratap had left his last messages for his older brother at 6:51 pm, "Bhaiya ab saans phool raha. Kuch karo" (Brother, I am short of breath now. Do something).
Pratap, a resident of Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, had come back to Delhi only 48 hours ago to resume his preparation for civil services. A fire, reportedly due to a short circuit on the first floor, quickly spread to engulf the building on Friday. There were no fire alarms and exit routes, and the fire intensified when the power was switched off, leaving him stranded in the lift.
Several emergency services were called. Ninety firemen and thirteen fire tenders fought the fire, but Pratap died of asphyxia. His remains were recovered at around 2:00 am during cooling operations with another male victim.
His older brother, Virendra Vikram, said that he called in desperation and that prompt assistance did not come on time. His brother, as per the news agency PTI, quoted saying, "He had never visited Vishal Mega Mart. Had he not messaged me, we would not have known where he was."
"When I saw my brother's body, there was blood coming from his nose. It was clear he had suffered. That moment broke something in me. My brother, who was my everything died with smoke burning his insides," he further added.
The family has blamed the store and emergency staff for negligence for the delayed response and lack of proper safety precautions.
Initial investigations indicate a suspected short circuit and point to inadequate ventilation, which is impairing rescue operations. A case has been registered by the authorities and they are investigating violations of fire safety regulations.
The tragedy points to regulatory shortcomings in India's shopping complexes. Pratap's excruciating last words have resonated on the internet as activists call for stronger building safety enforcement to make such avoidable deaths never happen again.
