Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar fire: Statements of students, staffers of coaching institutes recorded

Statements of more than 30 students and staff members of coaching institutes have been recorded in connection with the fire at a building in northwest Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar area housing coaching centres, police officials said on Saturday.

According to them, the students claimed that new batches had started recently and they had no idea about the fire fighting equipment in the building.

The fire at Bhandari House in Mukherjee Nagar's Batra Complex on Thursday jeopardised the lives of scores of students taking coaching classes there, raising concerns about the fire safety standards at buildings in the thickly populated area where there are coaching centres in just about every nook and corner.

According to the fire department officials, an inspection of the building following the blaze revealed that it had no fire fighting equipment.

A senior police officer said the police were checking the ownership of the building.

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The preliminary investigation has suggested that the ownership of the building is divided floor-wise. However, it was being verified, the officer said.

Four to five students, who were injured while escaping the building are under treatment, police said. Students had smashed windows, climbed down ropes and taken the help of ladders in desperate attempts to escape a blaze.

On Friday, two coaching institute operators -- Shivesh Mishra, 45, and Shyam Sunder Bharti, 54, were arrested and later let out on bail in connection with the fire. One of them is the CEO of one of the institutes, while the other is the owner of another coaching institute.

Police had said they might use 3-D laser scans to recreate the scene.

Mukherjee Nagar is a coaching hub for government job aspirants and a popular hangout zone for students from the nearby Delhi University campus.