The Mangolpuri factory fire in northwest Delhi killed four workers, injured two others and led to the arrest of two members of the factory management, police said, after flames and thick smoke spread through a shoe-manufacturing unit in the Mangolpuri Industrial Area on Friday night.
The deceased were identified as Ashok, 25, from Nalanda in Bihar; Harihar Chaurasiya, 40, a Mangolpuri resident; Lal Babu, 38; and Prem Chand, 50. Two workers rescued from the building were receiving treatment at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, with one reported to be in serious condition.
Delhi Police registered a First Information Report at Raj Park police station against the factory owner and others under Sections 287, 125(a), 105 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The sections relate to negligent conduct involving fire or combustible matter, endangering personal safety, culpable homicide not amounting to murder and joint liability.
The two arrested management members were identified as Suresh Chand, a resident of Deepali Chowk in Pitampura, and Ashok, 47, from Sector 4 in Rohini. Police said they were being questioned and that multiple teams were working to trace other accused persons.
Fire officials said the building was a basement-plus-four-storey structure, with a narrow staircase connecting the floors. The staircase had been stacked with raw materials, including PVC, adhesive and polyester, leaving limited space for escape. The basement had no windows and lacked adequate ventilation, according to Division Officer (North and Outer North) Ashok Kumar Jaiswal.
Jaiswal said the workers died from asphyxiation after smoke spread through the building rather than directly from the flames. Fire personnel reached the premises at around 9.40 p.m. and began rescue operations after the fire was reported. A preliminary probe suggested that a short circuit in the basement may have triggered the fire, although the investigation was continuing.
Officials said the management had reportedly told them that material was stored on the staircase because of increased demand and workload during the Deepavali period. The circumstances under which six people were staying overnight inside the commercial building were also being examined.
Relatives who gathered outside the mortuary said several workers had been working additional hours ahead of the festive season. Harihar’s family said he had completed a day shift beginning at 9 a.m. and planned to work from 9 p.m. to 2.30 a.m. He called his wife before the fire and asked her to send dinner to the factory. His 12-year-old son reportedly carried the food to him.
Harihar had worked at the factory for more than 20 years and also acted as a labour contractor. He is survived by his wife, a 16-year-old daughter and two sons aged 12 and 10. His relatives demanded that the factory owner support the family and continue paying his monthly salary until the children begin earning.
Ashok’s relatives said he had spoken to his wife and two young daughters, aged two and four, shortly before the fire. According to his uncle, Umesh Prasad, Ashok told his wife there was a fire and that he was leaving, after which the call stopped connecting. Lal Babu, who had worked at the factory for at least 15 years and lived in accommodation provided by the factory, was identified by relatives at the hospital and mortuary.
The police investigation and fire-safety assessment will determine the responsibilities of the owner, management and other parties. Authorities were continuing efforts to identify any further accused persons and establish the sequence of events inside the building.
