Manoj went to sleep after posting status:’Time can take away everything’; fire brigade employee in Indore disconnected eyewitness’s phone

A distressing call capturing sounds of explosions from Indore’s Swarn Bagh Colony has gone viral, exposing alleged lapses during the deadly fire incident on the night of March 17–18. In the recording, a resident can be heard pleading with fire brigade staff, but the call disconnects mid-conversation, with the official reportedly saying it would take 15 minutes. The incident, which has shaken the city, is now being seen not just as an accident but also as a case of alleged administrative negligence and insensitivity. Residents claim the fire brigade reached the spot nearly one and a half hours after the blaze began, by which time the damage was already catastrophic. They allege that had the response come within 15 minutes, several lives could have been saved. Family members also raised concerns about the delayed response and insensitive behavior of officials in front of Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav. The fire broke out at the three-storey house of rubber businessman Manoj Pugalia. Initially, officials cited a short circuit at an EV car charging point as the cause. However, the family has disputed this claim, stating the car was not on charge and suggesting that sparking from an electricity pole may have triggered the fire. To determine accountability and the exact cause, the government has constituted an inquiry committee. The panel will also recommend safety measures to prevent such incidents in the future. Fire brigade employee said – It will take 15 minutes A key piece of evidence in the incident is a video clip now going viral on social media. It shows the house engulfed in flames, loud explosions from inside, and the helplessness and panic of people nearby. In the video, an eyewitness is heard on a call with a fire brigade employee, describing the situation in a trembling voice. Sounds of gas cylinders or other appliances exploding can be clearly heard, while flames rise rapidly through the three-storey building. Trying to convey the urgency, the eyewitness says, ‘Hello… can you hear these bursting sounds? Listen to the explosions…,’ but the call disconnects before he can complete his sentence. No one went near due to fear of electrocution After this, people present at the spot began shouting, ‘Pour water, someone do something.’ However, due to electric wires and a transformer near the house, no one dared to go closer, fearing that water could spread current and make the situation more dangerous. They kept waiting for the fire brigade to arrive in 15 minutes. But those 15 minutes turned into an hour and a half, and by the time help reached, eight people had been burnt to death. Son told CM – Short circuit occurred in the electricity pole On March 19, when Chief Minister Mohan Yadav reached out to console the victim’s family, what Saurabh, the elder son of the deceased Manoj Pugalia, told the Chief Minister with folded hands and a choked voice was enough to shake any sensitive person to the core. Saurabh first questioned the cause of the fire. He said, Sir, the fire was not caused by the car’s charging, but by a short circuit in a nearby electric pole. First, a car caught fire. Then it spread to the bike parked there and then to our house. After this, Saurabh started revealing the layers of administrative failure that night. Firefighter said – extinguish the fire yourself Saurabh alleged that the fire brigade arrived nearly one and a half hours late, and their tankers had no water. One driver reportedly lost his way, and the team lacked both a ladder to reach upper floors and the intent to rescue people. He said he asked for a fire safety jacket so he could try to save his trapped family members himself, as he knew where they might be. However, a firefighter allegedly responded sharply, ‘If you know so much, then you pour the water yourself.’ Time can take everything away Businessman Manoj Pugalia was a lively person and very active on social media. Who knew that the WhatsApp statuses he posted just hours before his death would become his last words? His family members have preserved these statuses. Manoj Pugalia was a religious person. He had also posted statuses with lines from Hanuman Chalisa and about the grace of Khatu Shyam Ji. Who is responsible for this ‘mass murder’? This fire has raised many serious and burning questions about Indore’s fire safety and emergency response system