Political leaders express grief over fire tragedy
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and senior leaders across party lines on Sunday expressed grief over the deaths of nine people in the Vivek Vihar building fire. The opposition party Congress demanded a high-level investigation into the cause of the blaze and urged the government to provide financial compensation to the bereaved families without delay.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the incident was extremely tragic and that the loss of nine lives had left her deeply distressed. “Treatment of the injured in the accident is ongoing at the nearest hospital, and I pray for their swift recovery. In this hour of grief, my condolences are with the affected families. I pray to God to grant them the strength to endure this difficult time,” she said. She added that the Delhi government stands firmly with the affected families in every situation during this difficult time and that authorities are closely monitoring the situation and providing all possible assistance.
Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu directed authorities to provide all necessary medical assistance to the injured, along with immediate relief and support for those affected.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones in this devastating tragedy,” Sandhu said. He confirmed that Delhi Fire Service personnel and emergency teams are on the ground and working to manage the situation.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed sorrow over the incident and offered condolences to the bereaved families, praying for the recovery of those injured.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, accompanied by Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra, local MLA Sanjay Goel, Councillor Pankaj Luthra, and BJP Shahdara district president Deepak Gaba, visited the bereaved families at the site at around 10 am.
Sachdeva called it an irreparable loss. He said a delivery agent who first noticed the fire had told police he spotted sparking in the AC outlet outside the building, suggesting the blaze may have originated from an air conditioning unit. “Such sparking in wires, especially at nighttime when people are sleeping, is a matter for investigation,” he said. Malhotra praised the prompt response of the fire brigade and police, saying their timely action led to the rescue of around 20 people.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday declared the Vivek Vihar fire in Shahdara, which killed nine people and left several seriously injured, as tragic and heart-wrenching, and urged the BJP government to draw lessons from recent incidents. An AAP delegation led by MLAs Sanjeev Jha and Kuldeep Kumar visited the injured in hospital and later the site, where they spoke to residents about the blaze.
