Mumbai: Umang Singh, who was burnt alive
along with another young research scientist in the blaze at
the country`s premier atomic research laboratory BARC, was not
second time lucky.
It was only last week that Umang(27) had escaped with a
minor injury on his hand when a small fire broke out last week
in the same chemistry laboratory at the Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre where he met a fiery end yesterday.
"Last Friday, there was a small fire in the same
laboratory where he died yesterday. Umang had extinguished it
and escaped with a minor injury on his right hand," Umang`s
close friend Jairam Gholave said today while waiting to
receive his friend`s body at J J hospital`s coroner`s court.
Gholave, doing his PhD in chemistry from the University
of Mumbai, said he had scolded his friend for risking his life
by putting out the fire with his hands instead of complaining
about it to the BARC authorities.
Umang had responded to the friendly advice by saying
that he was very passionate about his institution and since it
was not a major blaze, he did not want to make an issue out of
it, Gholave said.
As the distraught families of Umang and his research
colleague Partha Bag struggled to come to terms with the
tragedy, Umang`s uncle Munna Singh demanded an inquiry into
the incident alleging that there was an attempt by the BARC to
hush up the matter. The families and the friends of the
victims were waiting at J J hospital to collect the bodies
after post-mortem.
Umang was the youngest of his parents` three children and
their only son. Umang`s father retired from service a few
years back and he was the family`s sole bread winner getting a
stipend of Rs 14,000 per month, Gholave said.
Some of Umang`s friends alleged that there was
carelessness on the part of BARC as the room where the
accident occurred was being painted and chemicals in
the paint could have spread the fire. The cause of the fire is
still being ascertained by the police and fire officials amid
reports that it could be an electrical short circuit.
"BARC should have cordoned off the chemical lab till
painting work was completed. Also, the two research students
should not have been allowed to work without supervision,"
they said.
Meanwhile, blood samples of the parents of the victims
are being collected to be sent to state forensic lab for
DNA-testing, police said.
Gholave said he knew Umang for the last four years and
described him as a very studious person who wanted to go to
the US for higher studies and also to earn enough to keep his
family comfortable.
PTI
