New Delhi: Dhirendra Pratap Singh, the 26-year-old youth, who died inside a lift after a fire broke out at the Vishal Mega Mart outlet in Karol Bagh, New Delhi, on Friday evening was an UPSC Civil Services aspirant who had cleared the Prelims and was preparing for the Mains.
“Bhaiya, I’m stuck in the lift…I can’t breathe… please save me,” the youngster texted his brother Vikram before dying of asphyxiation. His body was recovered from the lift at 2.30 am on Saturday, nearly eight hours after the fire started.
According to ANI, Dhirendra also made several calls, pleading for help, but was not rescued on time.
A native of Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, he lived in a PG accommodation in Karol Bagh and was preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. He held a Political Science degree and was pursuing his Master’s.
“My brother had gone to Vishal Mega Mart to shop in the evening. At 6.51 pm, I received a WhatsApp message from him saying he had been trapped inside the lift and was struggling to breathe. He called me too and said, ‘Mujhe bacha lo, main lift mein phas gaya hoon, saans phool rahi hai’,” Vikram told the news agency.
“He was the most disciplined and hard-working person. He wanted to serve the country as a civil servant. Instead, due to someone else’s carelessness, he died a painful death,” he added, struggling to hold back tears.
Vikram alleged that the store staff did not respond and they switched off the power and fled. “No one tried to rescue him. Even the police did not respond initially. We kept pleading for help till late at night. It was only at 2.30 am that the store acknowledged someone was trapped inside,” he added.
Dhirendra’s sister, Dr Swati, said: “My brother is gone, but their mall will reopen. People use lifts with trolley bags every day in malls. Why did no one check if anyone was inside? They turned off the power and left. Their store will be repaired, but my brother won’t come back.”
Delhi Fire Service officer Ravi Nath has said that a fire call was received at 6.44 pm on Friday from Vishal Mega Mart. “It’s a ground plus three-floor structure. One male body was recovered from the lift around 2 am. The cause of the fire, availability of fire safety equipment, and status of fire NOC are under investigation,” he said.
