Four children were burnt alive in Ghaziabad on Sunday afternoon when fireworks inside a car they were in exploded. The incident took place in Farookh Nagar locality of Ghaziabad under Sahibabad police station. The incident was a result of negligence on part of the car owner Rizwan, who had parked the unlocked car loaded with fireworks in the boot outside his house, following which the children playing outside entered the car.
Police said the explosion took place in a Maruti Alto (Dl 5CD 3039) in which firecrackers were kept to be taken to a wedding. Car owner Mohammad Rizwan had allowed five children from his family and neighbours to listen to music in the car. When one of the children switched on the music system, an explosion took place in which four children died on the spot and one sustained critical burns.
The dead children have been identified as Aksha (6) and Farhan (8), daughter and son of Rizwan; Sarika (3), daughter of Furkan; and Farhan (8), son of Mohammad Sajid. The other child, Krishh (7), son of Praveen, was rushed to a hospital where doctors said his condition was critical. Krishh has sustained over 70 per cent burn injuries. He had been admitted in the intensive care unit of the hospital.
“Although his condition is critical but we are trying hard to save his life,” said Dr RK Bhardwaj of Ambe Hospital, who is attending to the scalded child. Police said prima facie it appears that the explosion occurred due to an electrical short circuit in the music system. A criminal case against Rizwan has been registered at Sahibabad police station and he has been asked to present all necessary documents related to pyrotechnics, said Ghaziabad Superintendent of Police (SP) Ajay Pal. The bodies of the children have been sent for autopsy. A forensic team has been summoned to the site to ascertain the real cause of the incident, police said. Meanwhile, a thorough screening has been ordered for the entire hub of Farookh Nagar where firecrackers are being manufactured as a cottage industry, added the SP City.
Although there are several violations of law on several accounts from transporting to storage and manufacturing of explosives, since the accused is also a victim, he has been allowed to perform the last rites before presenting his viewpoint before the investigation officer (IO), added SP City.