Indore, March 19 – Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav visited the families of the victims of the fire incident that occurred in Indore on Thursday, which resulted in the death of eight people, including two children, according to government officials.
In a post on his official X account, Chief Minister Yadav said: "The incident that occurred in the Pugalia family's home in the colony located at Bengali Square in Indore is deeply distressing. I met with the family members today. We all share the grief of the Pugalia family. I pray that all the departed souls find peace, and that the family finds the strength to overcome this profound sorrow. An investigation into this incident is underway. To prevent such incidents from happening again in the future, discussions will be held with experts, and necessary steps will be taken."
During the visit, Chief Minister Yadav met Saurabh, the eldest son of the deceased, Manoj Pugalia (one of the victims), and offered his condolences and words of comfort to the bereaved family.
Saurabh told Chief Minister Yadav that the fire in their home was not caused by the charging process of the vehicle, but by a short circuit at an electric pole.
The car first caught fire, followed by the motorcycle parked inside the house.
Saurabh also alleged that the fire department did not arrive in time.
He remarked that if the fire-fighting vehicles had arrived on time, some lives could have been saved.
He also said that the water tankers were empty, and one tanker driver mistakenly entered a different lane.
Speaking to the media after meeting with the bereaved family, the Chief Minister described the incident as "extremely tragic" and said that the state government has already ordered an investigation into the matter.
Chief Minister Yadav noted that the state government is actively working on measures to enhance the safety of EV charging systems and residential electric locking mechanisms, ensuring that people remain safe in the event of a malfunction.
Officials have also conducted an inspection of the accident site.
"I have also viewed the video footage of the incident. To prevent such accidents from happening again in the future, we will hold consultations with institutions such as IIT, among others," the Chief Minister said.
Eight people, including two minors, were killed in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, on Wednesday after a massive fire engulfed a three-story residential building following an explosion in an electric car that was being charged outside the premises.
According to the police, the deceased were identified as Tanmay (7), Rashi Sethia (12), Simran Pugalia (30), Tinu (35), Suman Sethia (60), Vijay Sethia (65), Chhotu Sethia (22) and house owner Manoj Pugalia (65).
Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Madhya Pradesh Minister, Kailash Vijayvargiya, an MLA from Indore, had also visited the spot on Wednesday and termed the incident alarming, given that the society is heading towards the use of electric vehicles.
Vijayvargiya had said that the Indore district administration has been directed to conduct a detailed investigation by a committee of experts to prevent a recurrence of this incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the deaths and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF to the families of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured victims.