Mumbai: Three friends burned to death in Charkop temple fire

While Subhash Khode and Yuvaraj Pawar were declared dead on arrival at Shatabdi Hospital, the third person died at Sion hospital

Three close friends died after a fire broke out at a temple in Kandivli in the early hours of Sunday. While the fire brigade says the accident was caused by an electric short circuit, locals see a conspiracy into the tragedy.

Victims Subhash Khode 26, Yuvaraj Pawar, 27, and Mannu Radheshyam Gupta, 26 were fast asleep inside the Sai Baba temple at Charkop Bandar Pakhadi when the fire started near a water cooler and a fridge. It soon reached their beds and clothes.

Police outside Shree Sai Sachchidanand Mitra Mandal at Charkop, on Sunday. Pics/Satej Shinde

While they had the key to the collapsible shutter locked from outside, the victims forgot to retrieve it in panic, said the police.

Locals called cops

Hearing their cries, locals called the police and got the shutter opened. They were taken to Shatabdi Hospital, but doctors declared Khode and Pawar dead on arrival. Gupta, who had sustained about 95 per cent burns, was shifted to the Sion hospital where he died during treatment, said an officer from Chaarkop police station.

Police outside Shree Sai Sachchidanand Mitra Mandal at Charkop, on Sunday. Pics/Satej Shinde

Sources said the temple is about 10 years old. Earlier, there used to be a photo of Sai Baba and the structure came up a few years ago. Pawar was the founder and president of the temple, known today as 'Shree Sai Sachchidanand Mitra Mandal'. He and the other two victims used to look after the temple expenditure and other activities. They slept there to ensure no one stole from the donation box or other valuables.

Pawar was a real estate agent, Khode worked in a garage, while Gupta was jobless. The three lived in the same neighbourhood, said friends and relatives.

Locals smell a conspiracy

Sources in police said the local residents are not ready to believe the accident angle despite the findings of the fire brigade. They say the area is due for redevelopment and the deceased were opposed to the plan. The locals suspect a link between the fire and redevelopment project, said the sources.

Local MNS leader Dinesh Salvi said few people had set up a pandal blocking the temple. This had led to a fight between the victims and those manning the pandal. "Had the pandal not been there, someone might have noticed the fire. Maybe we could have saved their lives. The BMC dismantled the illegal structure only after the tragedy," said Salvi.

"We have checked the footage from CCTV cameras. One camera has captured the fire, but it doesn't show the presence of any other person there at the time," said a police officer.

The police have recorded the statements of over 25 people. "We are also probing those who had allegedly assaulted the deceased. The process of extracting the call data records of their mobile and ascertaining their whereabouts is also going on," said Inspector Rajendra Satpute from Charkop police station.