NEW DELHI: A team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday visited the site of the recent fire tragedy in Delhi’s Mundka to probe the incident that claimed the lives of 27 people, officials said. Led by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sunil Kumar Meena, the team comprised four members.
The NHRC on Sunday sent a notice to the government in connection with the incident. It observed that the incident established that the city authorities had “learnt little” from similar incidents in the past. The human right’s body sought a report from the chief secretary within two weeks that would include action taken against those responsible, fixing the culpability and status of disbursement of the relief or rehabilitation granted by the government, if any.
The team led by DIG Meena along with Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) M S Gill, DSP Kulbir Singh, and inspectors Kulwant Singh and Arun Tyagi visited the accident site and conducted an on-spot inquiry, a senior NHRC official said.
Police have recovered 27 bodies from the building. As of Sunday, 14 of them had been identified as women and six as men. Nineteen people are still missing. The fire, one of the deadliest in recent years, ripped through the four-storey building in Mundka. It started on the first floor of the building due to a suspected explosion in an AC, according to fire officials.
Bio samples of 26 people collected so far, say cops
The Delhi Police on Monday said it has so far collected biological samples of a total of 26 people for DNA profiling, whose family members are believed to have been killed in the Mundka fire. It includes kin of the eight people whose identities have already been ascertained. Preliminary probe has suggested various lapses, including lack of fire fighting equipment and blocked staircase.