NEW DELHI: Friday, 9.20pm. The second shift was about to start. Six labourers at a shoe factory in Mangolpuri were working overtime as they had been for the past few weeks to meet the festive season demand and to make enough money to celebrate Diwali with their families. Some would go to their native place once the Diwali bonus was in.Ashok Kumar (25), Harihar (40), Lal Babu (38), and Prem Chand (50) had eaten dinner when a fire broke out in the basement of the four-storey building. It was doused in three hours and six people were rescued. The four died while two are in hospital. On Saturday, the father of the unit’s owner and a supervisor were arrested and charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.Ashok had been working at the factory since he came to Delhi as an 11-year-old, said his family. “In a few days, he would’ve returned home in Nalanda, Bihar, for Diwali and stayed there till Chhath,” said a relative.Two of four victims worked at shoe factory for over 25 yearsThe fire was confined to the basement but the smoke swirled in the ventilation-less building and trapped the workers.Harihar, a contractor from UP’s Hardoi, lived in Mangolpuri but for the past month, had been going home only for an hour each day to freshen up and have breakfast. An employee at the factory for the past 25 years, he was looking forward to the Diwali bonus and to spend time with family once the festival rush was over, said a relative.Prem Chand, from Madhubani in Bihar, had also been working at the factory for the past 25 years, earning 55 paise for each shoe he made, adding up to Rs 15,000 a month. A simple man, he would put in around 12 hours a day and rush home after work, said a co-worker. Lal Babu had come to work from Deoria, UP.All four had migrated from home in search of work and a better life for their families. “My only wish is that my three children get to study. Who will ensure this now that their father is dead?” said Gayatri, Harihar’s wife.A bag over his mouth in a bid to surviveOne of the injured, Vikas Kumar (21), wrapped a bag around his mouth to avoid inhaling the smoke. “The bag saved him,” said Umesh Kumar, his uncle and a worker at the same factory. Although Vikas was the last to be taken out, he was one of two people rescued alive from the smoke-filled building. Among those killed was Ashok, Umesh’s relative.Fighting for every breathAnother worker of over 20 years, Harender, is currently in ICU at Sanjiv Gandhi Memorial Hospital. He had last called his brother-in-law, telling him not to keep aside dinner as he would be working another shift at the factory. “When I called him around 7am the next day to ask about breakfast, his phone was switched off. Then a relative from our village called to inform me about the fire,” said Mukhdev, his brother-in-law.
