A devastating late-night fire in Kota’s Anantpura, Rajasthan, claimed the lives of 10-year-old television child actor Veer Sharma and his 15-year-old elder brother Shaurya Sharma on Saturday. The siblings, who were asleep when smoke engulfed their fourth-floor flat, succumbed to suffocation before they could be rescued.
Family in grief
The tragedy has left the Sharma family inconsolable. Their mother, actress Rita Sharma, told CNN-News18 Showsha, “Abhi to bas baithe hue hai hum sab. Kuch samajh nahin aa raha hain kya kare. Bas lagta hai dono abhi daudte hue aa jayenge… par ghar bilkul suna ho gaya hai (Right now we are just sitting here. We don’t know what to do. It feels like both of them will come running back any moment… but the house has become completely empty).”
Their father, Jitendra Sharma, a teacher at a Kota coaching institute, recounted the horrific night. He was attending a jagrata nearby when he was informed about smoke in his flat. “I broke open the door and went inside. There was smoke everywhere. I couldn’t even see anything. I hurriedly opened the windows and rushed both my sons to the hospital. But dono baccho ki dum ghutne se maut ho gayi (both of my children died due to suffocation). One of them was still conscious while we were heading to the hospital, but he had inhaled too much carbon monoxide. Doctors kuch kar nahin paye (the doctors couldn’t do anything).”
Fighting tears, he said, “Kal hi unki antim kriya hui. Zindagi bhar ki roshni chali gayi (Their final rites were performed yesterday. The light of our lives has gone forever).”
How the fire broke out
Preliminary police investigations suggest that the fire started in the drawing room due to an electrical short circuit. While flames were limited, heavy smoke rapidly filled the flat, trapping the boys in their sleep. Neighbours, who noticed the smoke, broke into the house and tried to help but could not prevent the tragedy.
Jitendra Sharma was away at a bhajan programme, and Rita Sharma was in Mumbai at the time of the incident.
Background on Veer and Shaurya
Veer, best known for playing young Lakshman in the television series Veer Hanuman, had also been signed to portray the younger version of Saif Ali Khan in an upcoming Bollywood film. His elder brother Shaurya was a Class 10 student preparing for the IIT entrance examination.
The loss of the two brothers has shaken both the television industry and the local community. Tributes have poured in from colleagues and fans alike, remembering Veer’s talent and Shaurya’s academic promise.
Community in shock
Neighbours and relatives described the Sharma family as warm and close-knit. The tragic deaths of the two young boys have cast a pall of gloom over the locality. Local authorities have urged residents to take preventive measures against electrical hazards, especially with rising incidents of short circuits in high-rise buildings.