Gwalior: Man dies in locked room fire, succumbs to burn injuries

A 43-year-old man, Vijay Shakya, died in a fire in his Gwalior room, which was locked from inside. Police and fire brigade were unable to save him. Family members said he was an alcoholic, and police are investigating the cause of the fire.

A 43-year-old man allegedly died due to suffocation and burn injuries after a fire broke out in his room late Tuesday night in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior district, a police officer said on Wednesday.

The deceased has been identified as Vijay Shakya, a resident of Nadipar Taal locality under the jurisdiction of Thatipur police station in the district.

The fire was reported in a room where Shakya was trapped inside. Upon receiving information, fire brigade personnel and police teams rushed to the spot, bringing the blaze under control but as the room was locked from inside, they couldn't save him. They broke the door and found the man severely burnt and was taken out of the room, but he had succumbed to his burn injuries.

Police launch investigation

"Last night, we received information about a fire incident inside a room in the Nadipar Taal locality where a man named Vijay Shakya (43) was trapped inside. The fire brigade and police arrived at the scene immediately and extinguished the flames, but as the room was locked from the inside, Vijay succumbed to his fire injuries. He was subsequently taken to the hospital," said Atul Soni, City Superintendent of Police (CSP).

He further said that preliminary information provided by family members suggests that Shakya was addicted to alcohol and lived alone inside his room. "Family members stated that the man was addicted to intoxicants and had locked the room from the inside. The incident may have been caused probably by smoking or some other factor. The exact cause is being investigated. For now, a case has been registered, and the cause of death is being investigated," the officer said.

Details from FIR report

According to the FIR report, Vijay's father Ramcharan Shakya stated that Vijay lived in the ground-floor section of the house and worked as a painter. He was addicted to liquor consumption. Vijay's wife had passed away, and he had no children. On the night of the incident, he returned home from the market around 9:30 PM and heard that smoke was rising from Vijay's room. He went to check and saw the fire intensifying; he then called neighbors and informed the police. (ANI)

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