By IANS,
Kolkata : Three brothers aged between six and 12 years were burnt to death when a fire broke out in their shanty in West Bengal early Monday, the police said.
The incident took place at Ghutiarisharif, a semi-rural area in South 24 Parganas district, about 55 km from here.
“Three brothers, Ripon Majhi, 6, Swapan, 10, and Bapan, 12, were burnt to death early Monday after a kerosene lamp in their shanty toppled on a pile of cotton kept in the room. Their mother Jayanti too suffered 80 percent burns,” Additional Police Superintendent (rural) Nishad Parvez told reporters Monday.
Parvez said the fire broke out when Jayanti and her three sons were fast asleep in their shanty.
Jayanti’s husband Ratan, a quilt-maker, had stocked cotton and fibre in the room, the police said.
“Ratan had gone to a friend’s house and saw the shanty on fire when he returned around 3 a.m. Monday. He and his neighbours started throwing buckets of water to douse the flames. But by the time they were able to drag Jayanti and her three sons out, it was too late,” Parvez said.
“Swapan and Bapan were burnt alive inside the shanty, while Ripon died on way to the hospital. Jayanti is in critical condition. Ratan too suffered burns while trying to save his family,” Parvez added.