Mumbai: A month later, FIR filed in society wedding blaze case

A fireworks box at the scene of the mishap; (Right) flames engulf the eight-storey flat in Tower 28 in Malad East

After a month of investigation, the Dindoshi police finally registered an FIR against an unknown individual for allegedly bursting firecrackers inside Malad-based high-rise Tower 28 society during a wedding procession. A rocket landed in a flat, sparking a fire. However, instead of cooperating with the investigation, the society builder issued a notice to all residents, instructing them to refrain from keeping anything on their balcony or decorating it, threatening to file an FIR and take action for encroaching on the Chajja's space.

The Dindoshi police have yet to recover any evidence, including burnt firecrackers and CCTV footage, from the fire incident. No arrests have been made. The complainant, 64-year-old Pradeep Chaudhary, alleges that the malfunctioning firefighting system is also under police investigation for negligence.

According to a police official, the FIR was filed on March 20 at the Dindoshi police station. Chaudhary, demands strict action against the accused for endangering society members' lives and damaging his property.

In the alleged FIR, Chaudhary informed the police, "On February 18, my son Prashant Chaudhary and daughter-in-law went outside Mumbai for a picnic, and I went out with my wife for dinner. In the evening, members of the neighbouring SRA society entered our society with a wedding procession. An unknown individual lit a firecracker rocket near our society, and one of the rockets landed on the gallery of my house. Later, a fire broke out and spread into the bedroom. The society members informed me, and I arrived at the scene."

Chaudhary said, "Finally, after a month, the police registered the FIR against the unknown person responsible for the fire incident at my home. The builder is equally responsible because the fire system was not functioning and did not work when the fire broke out in my gallery. We used water from our house to extinguish the fire. The fire system should have been working, and it was the builder's responsibility as the builder had not handed over the society. I spent around Rs 1.50 lakh to renovate the bedroom. Who will pay for all the damages when it was not our fault?"

Prashant Chaudhary, the complainant's son, said, "We invested our significant savings in purchasing this flat, but we have not yet received the private road. The builder has kept a common entry for the SRA and the private Tower 28 society, which is against the rules. We need justice for this. The police should arrest the person responsible for the fire incident."

Following the fire incident, the builder issued a letter alleging, "It has been observed that you (society members) have encroached upon your flat's Chajja by installing grills and storing certain materials, which not only spoils the aesthetic look of the building but is also hazardous. As you are all aware, there was a fire incident in flat number 802 on the 8th floor of B wing at Tower 28, where firecrackers were bursting outside the flat's Chajja and caught fire. The entire Chajja was encroached upon with such materials, which attracted fire to the Chajja. You are requested to remove all hazardous materials kept in the Chajja area to avoid any future unwanted fire incidents. We have no option but to inform the BMC to take proper action against the society members, and we will also register a police complaint and inform the fire department."

Feb 18
Day of fire

Mar 20
Day FIR was lodged