Dhanendra Kumar, 79, died on Thursday after a suspected AC blast sparked a fire at his home in Hauz Khas the previous night.
The death of a former senior Delhi bureaucrat has raised angry questions about emergency response times in the national capital.
Dhanendra Kumar, the first chairman of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), died on Thursday after being suspected of being arrested An air conditioner explosion sparked a fire at his home in Hauz Khas the night before. Family members, employees and neighbors claimed that fire trucks arrived at the scene about 50 minutes after the fire broke out.
“We don’t know if their arrival on time would have saved Mr Kumar, but they arrived too late,” Abhishek, one of the hostel workers, told HT.
The fire broke out around 11pm at the family home in Jeep Hauz Khas. Police said preliminary investigation indicates that the fire started after an explosion in the indoor unit of the air conditioner installed in Kumar’s son Gaurav’s room.
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“There was no fire extinguisher.”
Neighborhood residents described desperate attempts to control the fire before firefighters arrived. A neighbor said people tried to use pipes, buckets and water because there were no fire extinguishers nearby.
“So we were all trying to put out the fire using pipes, buckets and water. But what happened is that there was no fire extinguisher. I even wrote that a fire extinguisher is needed at the police station, because such a fire cannot be controlled using just an extinguisher, and the fire brigade has to come,” she told PTI.
“This is not a slum area, the paths here are decent. His uncle held such a prominent position, and yet it took so much time for help to reach him. So what would happen to an ordinary person in this densely populated country?” the neighbor said.
The citizen added that messages were circulated in the local RWA group to obtain fire extinguishers while residents tried to contain the fire. “We know that it takes time for the fire brigade to arrive in this country. No matter what you do, it takes time because our infrastructure is not adequate,” she told PTI.
“I can’t say everything, but our country’s system is broken, and everyone knows it. There’s no point in denying it. We’re taxpayers and all, but the fire brigade still takes time to arrive.”
Anant Mittal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), said that police and emergency personnel rushed to the spot after receiving the PCR call. “The fire was brought under control with the help of residents and police personnel,” he told HT.
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How did he die?
The 79-year-old was at home with his wife, son and two domestic help staff when the fire broke out. He was found unconscious in the bathroom due to suspected smoke inhalation and had no burns, police said.
It was transferred to AIIMS Trauma Center with his son Gaurav, who was also exposed to smoking. Kumar died on Thursday morning after allegedly inhaling too much smoke. Gaurav is reportedly out of danger.
Kumar’s manager said the fire spread quickly after the air conditioning unit in Gaurav’s room exploded.
“Mr Kumar was in the bathroom when the fire broke out. Gaurav first helped his mother, who was in a wheelchair, out of the house. He then went back inside with two of his domestic helpers to look for his father, but by then he had collapsed in the bathroom,” Sejwal said.
He added that the three eventually took Kumar out of the house, but he was unconscious. Police searched the house and said no crime was suspected. The exact cause of the fire will be determined after an electrical examination.
(with PTI inputs)
Riddhima Gupta is health correspondent for Hindustan Times. It covers Delhi hospitals, government policies and other health topics. She has a keen interest in covering stories with a particular focus on gender issues and children.Read more
