Mumbai: 16-year-old boy killed in Malwani shop fire, owner faces allegations of negligence

A 16Yearold boy was burnt to death on Diwali night after being trapped inside a blazing Malwani fireworks shop when the owner allegedly pulled down the shutter to protect his goods Shahnawaz Khan had just received his first monthrsquos salary of Rs 6000 to fund his bedridden fatherrsquos tuberculosis treatment before the tragedy occurred around 930 pm on November 9 at MHB Colony Gate No 8As the fire erupts and spreads towards the shop the owner and some employees allegedly pull down the shutter reportedly in an attempt to protect the goods inside The flames however spread into the premises and reach the stored firecrackersAbout the boygtgt Job and purpose Shahnawaz worked at a wholesale shop owned by Vinod Jaiswal selling tobacco cigarettes and grocery items to support his family and contribute towards his bedridden fatherrsquos tuberculosis TB treatmentgtgt Tenure He had been working at the shop for about a monthgtgt Last salary He received his monthly salary on the day of the fire and called his mother to share the newsgtgt Final meeting His mother visited him at the shop barely an hour before the blaze marking their last meetingProbe demandedShahnawaz Khan who is inside the shop finds himself trapped as the fire spreads and firecrackers explode around him With the shutter allegedly closed he has no clear escape route The intense heat eventually causes the firstfloor slab to collapse The fire also damaged two neighbouring houses after portions of the shoprsquos firstfloor structure and walls collapsed onto adjoining properties destroying household belongingsShaikh stated that the massive stock of illegal explosives was kept without any safety permissions ldquoImagine child trapped inside a shop with the shutter closed and firecrackers exploding around himrdquo Demanding a fair investigation and a strict FIR for negligence Shaikh dismissed early speculation regarding the origin of the blaze ldquoThere are rumours that the fire was caused by a short circuit but I do not agree with that version The circumstances need to be investigated properlyrdquo he saidFoul playFormer corporator Siraj Shaikh says the shutter was closed when he reached the spot Residentsrsquo attempts to douse the flames failed due to the intensity of the fire After battling the blaze for 30 to 45 minutes firefighters bring it under control and launch a rescue operation recovering Shahnawazrsquos body from beneath the collapsed slab Illustrations by Uday MohiteZulekha Begum questioned the shop ownerrsquos son Rishi after he identified the body asking how he knew it was Shahnawaz when his father had earlier claimed her son had left the shop She alleged that the workers had escaped leaving her son trapped inside She believes he could have survived had the shutter been left open and is appealing to the public and authorities for justiceThe current scene inside the Malwani shop destroyed and turned to ash after the blasts PicsBy Special ArrangementMotherrsquos anguishZulekha Begum mother of 16yearold deceased ShahnawazlsquoMy husband is bedridden with TB and cannot work Out of our six children only our youngest Shahnawaz lived with us He is now gone On the night of the fire he called me at 900 pm to collect his salary Everything seemed perfectly fine then But at 1030 pm the owner called claiming Shahnawaz had run away and the shop was on fire I rushed to the spot and repeatedly asked the workers if my son was inside They assured me they checked and he wasnrsquot there At around 400 am the police informed me that a body had been found at the hospital and asked me to identify it But there was hardly anything left to identify Then one of the shop ownerrsquos sons Rishi came and said the body was ShahnawazrsquosrsquoNeighbours gather with former corporator Siraj Shaikh to demand a fair probe and justice for the trapped teenager PicBy Special ArrangementNeighboursrsquo lossesShahnaz Salim Khan 50 resident of Room No 15lsquoI have lost everything I own I am now out on the road I had warned the shopkeeper that storing firecrackers next to our homes was dangerous but he ignored my concerns The fire destroyed our TV and rooms too Four of us including my daughterinlaw were trapped on the first floor We had to break through the falling debris to escape and save our livesrsquoParents of the deceased boy right grieve alongside former corporator Siraj Shaikh centre and devastated neighbours following the fireHasina Shaikh around 50 resident of Room No 16lsquoI was cooking when I heard explosions Sparks from the shop quickly engulfed the area in flames I ran for my life The shopkeeper had no fire extinguishers If he had proper measures this tragedy could have been avoided The shoprsquos wall collapsed onto our house destroying our furniture I am lodging a police complaint I believe the owner closed the shutter to save his stock killing a child and ruining our homesrsquoPolice SpeakA police officerlsquoMalwani police have registered an Accidental Death Report ADR in connection with the incident We are awaiting reports from the fire brigade and Adani Electricity to ascertain the exact cause of the fire Further investigation and action will be taken based on the findings of these reports which will also help establish whether there was any negligence or violation of safety normsrsquo