New Delhi — Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday strongly criticised Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the Social Welfare Minister over their absence at the site of the massive fire that broke out in the Sector 17 jhuggi cluster in Rohini, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least two children.
Speaking to the media after visiting the devastated area, Bharadwaj said,
“We spoke to the people here. The fire broke out around 11:30 am and kept growing. By around 1:30 pm, everything had turned to ash. The fire brigade arrived after two hours. Shockingly, the Chief Minister was nearby in Bawana attending ‘Mann Ki Baat’ but did not come here. Even now, at night, the local MLA, who is also the Social Welfare Minister, has not visited. Small children have died, and still, there is no response.”
He called it “inhuman” for senior government leaders to be missing during such a major humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal called the incident “extremely painful” and urged party workers to assist fully with relief efforts.
Posting on X, Kejriwal said:
“The news of the burning of huts and the tragic death of two innocent children due to fire in the Rohini area of Delhi is extremely painful. All local workers are requested to cooperate fully with the administration in relief and rescue operations.”
Incident Details:
The fire broke out at a slum cluster near Shri Niketan Apartment, Sector 17, Rohini on Sunday.
According to MK Chattopadhyay, Deputy Chief Fire Officer (West Zone),
- Authorities received the emergency call at 11:55 am.
- Initial response included 4–5 fire brigades, but narrow lanes made access difficult.
- Due to the intensity of the blaze, it was declared a Medium category fire.
- Later, around 26 fire vehicles were deployed at the site.
- Two children with severe burn injuries were shifted to a hospital.
- The cause of the fire has not yet been determined and is under investigation by the police.
Residents like Mitthu, a father who lost his four-year-old son, shared harrowing accounts of their loss, highlighting the devastating human impact of the tragedy.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing as authorities work to fully assess the damage and support affected families.