Javed wanted to buy something for his mother with the money that he earned at the fair, says friend. 

New Delhi, April 13: AFTER giving new life to 10 people, Mohammad Javed, the 18-year-old who went out of his way to rescue many trapped in the devastating Meerut fire on Monday, lost his own life today. He had sustained 70 per cent burns, and was admitted at the Safdarjung Hospital here. 

Javed, a resident of Mandawali in East Delhi, had just finished his Class XII exams. He and some friends had decided to go to the Meerut fair, hired as salesmen for one of the exhibiting firms. 
 
 

‘‘He used to say that he wanted to be remembered even after he was dead. His dream has come true today. He has set an example for many. The parents of children whose lives he saved came to meet him and showered their blessings. We are proud of him,’’ said Javed’s aunt, Noorjahan. 

His mother, Anida, was inconsolable when she heard about the death of her eldest son. 

Manikant, one of his friends who accompanied him to Meerut, said: ‘‘Since we did not have anything to do, we decided to take the job as salesmen. It was fun, and we would also get paid decently. Javed wanted to buy something for his mother with that money.’’ 

Recalling the fire, Manikant, who suffered a minor injury, said: ‘‘We found out about the fire well in time, and had time to escape to safety. But when we looked back, we saw some children trapped in the fire. Javed went back and started pulling them out of the blaze.’’ 

Meanwhile, relatives and friends alleged medical negligence. 

But a senior doctor in the Burns Ward at Safdarjung countered: ‘‘He was admitted here in a very critical condition. His kidneys were not working and his vital organs had been infected. We did our best but could not save him.’’ 

Later in the evening, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for Javed’s family
 
 
 

Meerut inferno: Many people still missing 

Ghaziabad, April 13
A large number of missing people have not been accounted for after the fire tragedy in Victoria Park in Meerut. While the authorities have issued a list of 11 persons, people claim that the number of missing persons is much larger. 

That is why there was a strong protest by the public when the authorities started clearing and levelling the Victoria Park with bulldozers on April 12.

The people said they had seen the skulls of many children being crushed under the wheels of the bulldozers. 

This was an attempt to destroy evidence, the public alleged.

The relatives of all such persons are running from pillar to post without any clue to their missing kith and kin.

Amar Agarwal of Sainik Vihar is one such person who is among those missing after the fire.

He had put up a stall in the fair. Raj Kumar Singh and his uncle Anil Gupta say that they have not got any information about him so far. 

These people are passing through a traumatic time. They rush to the door every time the telephone rings or somebody knocks at the door. Once a body resembling Amar’s was received at AIIMS, but a close scrutiny revealed it was someone else. 

The tragedy is that bodies of some missing persons have not been traced yet, which has complicated the matter and prolonged the agony of the families or relatives.

They should have been found in hospitals or reached home by now.

Another name is Amanjit Singh of Delhi who had also put up a stall in the fair. His friend Sarbjit has failed to find any clue to Amanjit.

Malti Tayal of Manoranjan Park is yet another missing person who has not been traced so far.

She had gone to the consumer fair along with her husband Ramesh Chander Tayal, son Naresh and daughter-in-law Jaya. When the fire engulfed the enclosure, Naresh and his wife made a dash for the exit, but their parents got left behind. 

When Naresh tried to go back to rescue his parents, he was not permitted by policemen. Then they reached hospital, but could not find their parents anywhere.

At 2 am, Naresh got confirmation of his father’s body, but he has still not got any clue to his mother’s whereabouts. Naresh is going from one hospital to another with the photograph of his mother. Whenever he meets the district authorities or hospital staff, he is told that “no fresh dead body has been received yet”. 

Mrs Savita Dhingra and her daughter Tarunshi are two other missing persons for whom Rajesh Dhingra is searching for like a man possessed.

Meanwhile, two of the four victims of the blaze undergoing treatment in Kailash Hospital in Noida succumbed to their injuries in the morning today. They were Mrs Alka Pruthi and her son Parshiv Pruthim, 11. Alka Pruthi, 35, had 99 per cent burns and her survival had almost been ruled out. Her son had 55 per cent burns. 

Eight burn patients out of hundreds charred in the blaze are admitted to Kailash Hospital. Four were brought on April 10 while another four were brought to Noida on April 11. Four serious patients with more than 50 per cent burns were admitted to ICU. They are all on ventilators. The condition of the other two who are in ICU is not good either. 

They are Manish Bhadraj, with 65 per cent burns, and Dr N.K. Bhatia, himself a doctor. 

According to Dr Dinath Nath, attending on them, all four were quite serious and had little chance of recovery.

Dr Nath said the other four patients will have to be treated for more than a week as recovery in burn cases is rather slow.

Ashok Sahini, with 53 per cent burn injuries, had gone to see the fair with his wife Savita (47) and daughter Divya (12). 

They were all brought to Noida yesterday after their conditions deteriorated.