In a tragic incident in Rohini, 400 jhuggis were reduced to ashes, resulting in the death of two innocent children. Despite the fire station being just five minutes away, the fire trucks took nearly two hours to arrive. AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized Delhi CM Rekha Gupta for not responding to the tragedy, as she and local MLA were watching ‘Mann Ki Baat’ when the fire broke out.
The AAP Delhi State President shared that the residents believe the fire may have been deliberately set by land mafias eyeing the area, while victims lamented the lack of any government aid. He demanded accountability, questioning the delayed response and inhumane lack of assistance.
During a press conference, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “Yesterday, in the Bawana Vidhan Sabha constituency, whose MLA is Ravinder Indraj and who is also the Minister of Social Welfare, a large JJ cluster near the Rohini Sector 17 area caught fire. When we went there, the residents informed us that the fire broke out between 11 to 11:30 am. There is a fire station merely five minutes away, yet we were told it took the fire brigade nearly two hours to reach.”
He continued, “Imagine, when a fire brigade finally arrives, people usually welcome it, hoping the fire will be extinguished. But here, people pelted stones. Why? Because by the time the fire brigade reached, everything had already burnt to ashes. The fire brigade came only to complete formalities.”
Describing the tragic loss of life in the fire, Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “Inside that JJ cluster, two small children were completely burnt; only their bones remained. Their remains were searched for and recovered. When we reached there around 9:30 pm last night, many of our MLAs and councillor colleagues were also present.”
Highlighting the lack of response from the government, the AAP Delhi State President said, “Residents there told us that no help from the government had reached them. Media personnel were present and witnessed that there was no light, no tents, no food, no medicines, and no mobile toilets at the site.”
“The fire broke out between 11:00 to 11:30 am, and at that very time, Delhi’s Chief Minister and the local MLA and Minister were listening to ‘Mann Ki Baat’ in Bawana, just 10 minutes away from the fire site. Yet, despite the proximity, the Chief Minister did not visit the spot. She did not even tweet about it,” he asserted.
Sharing how the situation unfolded later, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “When we spoke to the media and tweeted after reaching there at night, only then, around 11 pm, did the Chief Minister tweet, claiming that medicines, food, and mobile toilets had been sent. But in reality, nothing had arrived; this was witnessed by everyone present there.”
Raising concerns about the possible motives behind the fire, Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “When we spoke to the residents, they said that a land mafia wants to capture that land, which belongs to the DDA. Houses have already started being built on one side of the land, and it is being said that the JJ cluster was set on fire to vacate the land so that the land mafia could take control of the DDA land.”
Providing more details about ongoing construction, the senior AAP leader added, “Even now, bricks are piled up at the site. Construction work was underway there. Whose construction was it? How can construction take place on DDA land? JJ clusters are DUSIB clusters; until the government rehabilitates the residents, they will live there. But no land mafia can undertake construction there. How was construction happening then?”
Questioning the delayed response of authorities, he said, “Why did the fire brigade reach the spot so late? These are serious questions. We have asked some questions to the government and the Chief Minister.”
Detailing the specific demands for accountability, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “First, at what time did the police and fire brigade receive the first information about the fire? How much time passed before fire fighting began, and what were the reasons for the delay? Has any action been taken against any official regarding this?”
Questioning the chain of communication regarding the incident, the AAP Delhi State President said, “At what time did the Chief Minister receive information about this tragic incident? It is the responsibility of the police and fire department to inform the Chief Minister through her secretary. The CM must tell us when she was informed. If the CM says she received information at 11 pm, then the senior officers of the police, fire department, and her own secretary must be held accountable. Has any action been taken against them?”
He stated that if no action has been taken, it clearly means that the Chief Minister had already received the information earlier but chose not to respond to the tragedy.
Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “They were forced to respond at 11 pm at night because AAP workers had reached the spot and questioned the government. The situation there was extremely disturbing. All around, the jhuggis had been reduced to ashes. People were sitting with their families in complete darkness on the ground.”
Describing the horrifying scenes at the site, the senior AAP leader stated, “There were many animals too—goats and others—who had been burned alive. Their charred skeletons could be seen lying in groups. A father, crying, shared that he used to collect waste early in the morning. He had gone out for work, while his wife had left for her job at someone’s house. Their four-year-old son was left alone at home. A fire broke out; the little boy hid inside a cooler and was burned to ashes along with it.”
Highlighting the tragedy further, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Another child, three years old, was partially rescued. While attempting to save the second child, the fire grew so fierce that he too was reduced to ashes. We saw the photographs of those children; they were unbearable to even look at.”
Criticising the government’s insensitivity, the AAP Delhi State President said, “Despite such a tragedy, there was not even a shred of sensitivity left in this government. CM Rekha Gupta was merely ten minutes away but did not even visit the site. The local MLA had not reached the spot by night. We were there at 10 PM, but the local MLA, who is also a minister, was absent.”
Commenting on the BJP’s conduct before elections, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “This is the same party that, six months before elections, talks about organising ‘Jhuggi Samman Yatras’, staying overnight in jhuggis, taking their own utensils with them and eating there, pretending to sleep in their homes, playing carrom with jhuggi children, playing ludo with them, organising jagrans, and singing and dancing. Why? Only because they needed votes from the poorest of the poor. Even poorer than the poor are the BJP leaders because they had to beg for votes from these poor people.”
He continued, “After shamelessly seeking votes, they became so shameless that they did not even send fire brigades on time. Children were burnt alive, and they did not have the time to even visit the site. What could be more disgusting?”
“If this had happened in some remote corner, one could understand, but this happened just ten minutes away in Delhi. Yet they did not bother to go. It is an act of extreme shamelessness, and I have never seen such a disgraceful example in my life,” asserted the senior AAP leader.
Slamming Rekha Gupta and the BJP leaders, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “I am at a loss for words to describe the kind of condemnation Rekha Gupta, her MLA and minister deserve. This is utterly condemnable.”
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