Uncle of two kids who perished in Firozabad explosion recalls tragic moments

Firozabad/Lucknow (UP), Sep 17 (PTI) Gaurav Kushwaha last saw his three-year-old niece Kumari Ichha at 9.30 pm on Monday; a powerful blast in the neighbouring house in Naushera locality of Firozabad district barely an hour after he left led to her untimely death.

Ichha’s two-year-old brother Abhinaye also perished in the tragic incident. A total of five persons died in the high-intensity explosion in Naushera under Shikohabad police station area.

According to Gaurav, his elder brother Dharmendra was away from their house for some work, when the explosion took place.

His sister-in-law Gayatri and elder niece Raunak (5) somehow managed to save their lives by escaping from their house.

Recalling the sequence of events, which took place on Monday night, 25-year-old Gaurav told PTI on Tuesday, “It is indeed a sad incident for the entire family. Ganpati Puja was organised in our area. On Monday, a ‘bhandara’ was going on. I was at the ‘bhandara’ venue.”

“My sister-in-law, nephew and both the nieces came back home. Around 9.30 pm, I went home to give the ‘prasad’ of the ‘bhandara’, when I last saw and spoke to my younger niece Ichha. And suddenly (around 10.30 pm), there was an explosion, which triggered panic in the area.”

“Gayatri and Raunak were watching television in one room, while Ichha and Abhinaye were sleeping in another room. As the blast took place in our neighbouring house, the roof of our one-storeyed house got damaged, and the children came under the debris. Gayatri and Raunak fled from the house,” Kushwaha said, adding their entire house was damaged.

Dharmendra works as a sweet maker, while Gaurav sells fast food items to earn a living.

“My sister-in-law (Gayatri) is still shocked (following the death of her children), and is not in a position to speak,” Gaurav said.

“The last rites of the children have been performed,” he said, adding the administration has assured them that compensation will be given.

Dharmendra, the father of the deceased children, said, “I was out of house for some work, when the incident took place.” He refused to speak further.

On Tuesday, family members of the deceased demanded compensation from the government, and said that funeral (of the deceased) will not be held until the state government gives them compensation.

A grief-stricken Anil Kushwaha, who lost his mother Meera Devi and younger brother Aman in the explosion, told PTI, “Barely five minutes before the explosion, I had spoken to my mother. I was also in the house when the incident took place. I was able to save my two children, since they started shouting ‘papa-papa’, and I could locate them by hearing their voices.”

“However, but I could not save her (mother), because at that point of time, I was unable to understand anything. As the tragedy unfolded, the entire locality started crying, while mourning over the untimely deaths,” he said.

Anil Kushwaha also said that it was the complaint lodged by his brother Pawan that a case was registered against Bhoora alias Navi Abdullah, who manufactured firecrackers and used to sell them, and his two sons.