Three Minor Siblings Charred To Death Amid Sleep As House Catches Fire In Bengal's Murshidabad

Murshidabad: Three minor siblings were charred to death in their sleep in Benipur village under Ranitala police station limits in the Bhagawangola block of West Bengal's Murshidabad in the wee hours of Saturday, police said. Two of the victims are male.

Police said the house of Shayan Sheikh caught fire at 12.05 am on Saturday, in which two houses in the vicinity were also damaged. Shayan, Swapan and Nayan are siblings who live in houses side by side. Shayan was not at home when the fire broke out. His wife, Sarjeena Bibi, was sleeping with twin sons Sahil Sheikh (9), Adil Sheikh (9) and their baby girl Sajida Khatun (6).

Suddenly, Sarjina woke up to the sound of screaming in the neighbourhood and saw that the house was engulfed in smoke. Unable to understand anything, she left the house, which caught fire within moments. Her three children, who were asleep, were burnt to death. "I was sleeping with my three children. I did not understand anything at first and came out after seeing the smoke, leaving my children inside," an inconsolable Sarjeena said.

The nearby houses of Swapan and Nayan were reduced to ashes. Locals rushed to the spot and tried to douse the fire with water buckets, followed by firefighters who reached the spot afterwards. Soon after bringing the fire under control, three children of Shayan were brought out and rushed to Nashipur Primary Health Centre, where doctors declared them dead upon arrival.

Although the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, initial investigation suggests that a short-circuit might be the reason. Bhagabangola MLA Reyat Hossain Sarkar, who visited the spot at night, said, "The incident took place at around 12:05 am, in which three siblings died and three houses were burnt to ashes. The cause of the fire will be investigated."

"Initially, it was assumed that the fire broke out due to a short circuit. The entire situation is being monitored by the family," Domkal SDPO Shubham Bajaj said.

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