Four dead in Delhi shoe factory fire as police file culpable homicide case

Four people died and two others suffered serious injuries in a major fire at a shoe factory in Delhi's Mangolpuri Industrial Area Phase-1 on Friday night.

Casualties And Rescue

The blaze broke out in the basement of the factory building, which has a basement, ground floor, three upper floors, and a partially built terrace. Fire control rooms received the alert at around 9.30pm on Friday through a call that initially reported a fire in a garment factory. Firefighters and police officers rescued six people trapped and unconscious inside the building. Four of them were declared dead at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, while two injured men, 35-year-old Harendra and 21-year-old Vikas, are currently treated in the intensive care unit. The four dead victims are 50-year-old Prem Chand, 40-year-old Harihar, 25-year-old Ashok, and 38-year-old Lal Babu, whose bodies were moved to the mortuary.

Investigation And Case

Delhi Fire Services deployed 16 fire tenders to bring the blaze under control by 1am on Saturday. The Mangolpuri police station registered a first information report for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other relevant sections. Deputy commissioner of police for the outer district, Vikram Singh, stated that authorities are investigating the exact sequence of events and cause of the fire to fix responsibility and take legal action.

Context

Industrial fires in densely packed manufacturing hubs often highlight concerns over workplace safety compliance and building norms. Investigators in such cases typically look into whether proper fire exits, ventilation, and safety equipment were in place.