When a fire broke out in the 11th-floor flat of Shanta Bhuvan in Vile Parle West on Tuesday night, 23-year-old Ankita Chetri ran towards the bedroom where two-and-a-half-year-old Abir Batavia was sleeping.
She reached the child and tried to protect him as smoke began filling the room. Chetri carried Abir into the attached bathroom, apparently hoping it would offer them some protection from the flames and smoke. Both died of smoke inhalation. Abir was found in Chetri’s arms.
By Wednesday evening, the tragedy had taken another cruel turn. While the Batavia family had gathered at Cooper Hospital to complete formalities for Abir, Chetri’s body remained at the mortuary. Hospital staff said her postmortem could not be conducted as there was no blood relative present to complete the formalities.
Ketan Parikh, the building’s secretary, said Chetri was from Siliguri, West Bengal and that a relative had come to the building to identify her. Her family had subsequently been informed of her death and was on its way to collect her body, and would reach by Thursday morning. The 23-year-old had been working with the family for less than a year.
The tragedy unfolded around 10 pm at the four-basement, ground-plus-11-storey Shanta Bhuvan building on Baptista Road, a residential project completed in 2020 by the Batavia family’s real estate company, Labh Homes Creations and Holdings. Hiren Batavia, 64, the company’s managing director, lived in the flat with his joint family.
The fire started in the hall at around 9.45 pm, according to preliminary findings of the fire brigade. Officials suspect an electrical fault involving the AC unit above the television or the iron being used by Chetri could have triggered the blaze.
As the fire spread, Hiren tried to reach the bedroom where Abir and Chetri were trapped but could not get through because of the heat and smoke. A fire brigade officer said the pair could possibly have survived had the bedroom window been opened.
In the adjoining bedroom, Hiren’s son Parth, 32, was initially unaware of the fire. When he opened his door, he was hit by a wall of smoke. He tried blocking the smoke with towels before going out onto the balcony. Firefighters rescued Parth and took him to Nanavati Hospital.
As smoke filled the building, several residents fled to the terrace. The building’s secretary and others tried to assist in the firefighting operation, while watchman Shivam Dwivedi, 29, and fire brigade official Manoj Sonawane, 31, suffered minor injuries during the rescue operation.
The evacuation was particularly difficult because several residents were senior citizens. Firefighters helped some of them descend the staircase, including a resident who had to be brought down in a wheelchair.
The building’s compound also posed a challenge to the rescue operation. There was insufficient space for a fire brigade vehicle to reach the building directly, forcing firefighters to carry out rescues through the staircase.
The building had a firefighting system, with provisions for sprinklers and fire extinguishers, but few residents knew how to operate the pump.
“Two people in the building knew how to work the pump, and they were on the top floor, so it went unused. This is pretty typical; the families in the neighbourhood should take this as a lesson and familiarise themselves with their firefighting systems,” said Vipin Sharma, additional municipal commissioner of the BMC.
Sabah Virani is a journalist with The Indian Express’ Mumbai bureau, covering infrastructure, housing and urban issues. In the realms of technical fields, she brings out human stories and the pace of change ongoing in the city. Expertise Specialised Role: Tracking infrastructure in Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Sabah’s reporting tracks progress on various projects. From bridges to metros, she mixes technical details with resourceful information. Core coverage areas: Sabah keeps a close eye on the activities of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and its projects across the MMR, including the metros, road projects, bridges, the bullet train, pod taxi, its role as a planning authority, and more. She also watches for developments from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) and the GoM’s Urban Development department. Housing: Sabah also tracks developments in housing, particularly the workings of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). She also keeps a keen watch on the big redevelopment projects ongoing in Mumbai, including the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, Motilal Nagar, Kamathipura, BDD Chawl redevelopment, among others. Occasionally, she reports on the environment, biodiversity, waste, arts and culture. Experience: Prior to working for the Indian Express, Sabah covered the municipality, civic issues and miscellaneous for Hindustan Times. Before that, she covered all things Mumbai for the online publication Citizen Matters. She has also worked as an editorial assistant at FiftyTwo.in. ... Read More
