Two minor girls burnt alive in brick kiln

In a tragic incident two sisters aged around 10 and 3 died after falling into a furnace inside a brick kiln at Pandua in Hooghly on Sunday morning.

The workers at the brick kiln and the family members of the victims went on rampage ransacking the room of the kiln manager. The infuriated mob damaged a portion of the brick kiln after the sisters fell into the furnace. A huge contingent of district police reached the spot and brought the situation under control. The owner and the manager of the brick kiln have been absconding since the incident.

Police said that Chandni Rajbangshi and Swapna Rajbangshi who were sisters, stood on a board made of fibre which was covering the furnace. They did not have the slightest idea that could lead to a fatal accident. As the two children stood on the fibre board, it could not take their load and they fell into the furnace. 

The other workers at the kiln heard the two girls screaming while falling into the furnace and rushed to the spot but they were too late.

Police and Fire brigade department personnel reached the spot after the incident which has brought to light various security lapses inside the brick kiln. 

The local people have alleged that often there was no permanent cover on the furnace and as a result it remained open from the ground. There is always a possibility of children falling into the furnace.

The labourers at the brick kiln have alleged that they had informed the matter to the kiln authorities and urged them to cover the furnace with a concrete slab. But the brick kiln authorities turned a deaf ear despite the repeated requests from the workers. 

As a result two lives were lost due to negligence. The local people and the family members of the girls demanded stringent action against the accused. Police and Fire department personnel took out the dead body by breaking the furnace.

Some people said that the two girls came to the spot to find their father who is a worker of the brick kiln, while some others claimed that the two children used to work as bonded labourer. The police are yet to ascertain whether they were working as labourers at the brick kiln.

Police on the basis of the complaint have started a case against the owner of the brick kiln. They were conducting raids to nab the owner and the manager. The workers at the brick kiln have been interrogated by the police.