In a day of high drama, the widow of 35-year-old Nitin Baburao Ivalekar, who was killed during a fighting operation at a 22-storey commercial building ‘lotus Business Park’ at Andheri in north Mumbai on Friday, collected his body from the fire brigade authorities and performed his last rites on Saturday evening, only after they promised her a job and early compensation in writing.

The Mumbai Fire brigade  found itself in a dilemma for better part of the day, as deceased fireman Nitin Ivalekar’s widow Shubhangi steadfastly refused to collect her husband’s body till such time department chief gave written undertaking to her that her two demands — that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation would give her a job and also disburse a compensation of Rs15 lakh announced by it after the death of her husband forthwith — were met.

“No one will care about me, once the funeral of my husband is over. What will my two children and I do thenIJ Your empty promises will not do. Give me a written undertaking that you will settle both my demands,” a sobbing yet firm Shubangi told Chief Fire Officer of the MBF AN Verma, as she refused to take custody of the body of her husband kept in an ambulance at the city fire brigade headquarters at Byaculla.

After consulting senior BMC officials, Varma gave a letter to Shubhangi, mother of two daughters aged two and six years, assuring her that the compensation would be disbursed to her within 30 days and that the BMC would provide her job to support her family.

The mortal remains of Ivalekar, who died of asphyxiation during the firefighting operations at a 22-storey ‘lotus Business Park on Friday, were later taken to Virar in Thane, where his six-year-old daughter Suha lit the funeral pyre, as the Mumbai fire brigade officials paid their homage to the deceased firefighter.