Balrampur scribe, friend killed in fire in his village house: Police

A journalist was charred to death along with his friend in a fire that broke out in his village house under Kotwali Dehat police station area in Balrampur district, police said on Saturday. Rakesh Singh, 35, working for a local newspaper, and his friend Pintu Sahu, 32, suffered serious burns in the fire at the house in Kalwari village, said Balrampur Superintendent of Police Dev Ranjan Verma.

While Sahu died on the spot, Singh suffered 90 per cent burns and was referred to a Lucknow hospital where he succumbed to the injuries, the SP said. The father of the deceased journalist, Munna Singh, has demanded action apprehending that his son was murdered. According to the police, Rakesh Singh's wife and children had gone to a relative's house two days ago following some dispute between the couple.

On Friday night, there was an explosion in the house after which one of the walls collapsed and one of the room caught fire, police said. The SP said investigations are on and two people have been detained for questioning.