New Delhi: In a heartbreaking incident, a woman and her son from Delhi lost their lives due to suffocation caused by a coal stove. The tragedy unfolded in their residence when they were sleeping in, police said on Monday. As per PTI, her husband and her two other children are being treated at the Safdarjung hospital.
Anjali (23) and her son Shambhu died during treatment and Dinesh, Divansh (6), and Devanshi (4) are hospitalised, officials. On Sunday at 6.16 am, police rushed to the spot immediately after getting the information, said officials cited by PTI.
Initial reports suggest that the cause of death was suffocation, linked to the use of a coal stove for heating purposes. Police said it suspected that smoke from the coal brazier, or angithi, filled the unventilated room in the intervening night Saturday and Sunday. Police also mentioned that people usually light these stoves to keep themselves warm during winter.
Police suspected no foul play in the incident. The proceedings have been initiated under Code of Criminal Procedure section 174, an official said, as per PTI.
Notably, the family lived in a rented accommodation in Asola, it has been their residence for the last two years. Dinesh worked as a gardener at a farmhouse in the Maidan Garhi area, PTI quoted police as saying.
Earlier in a similar incident, two children were among four who died of suffocation due to 'angeethi' in the Alipur area in outer north Delhi. The deceased have been identified as Rakesh (40), who was a driver of a water tanker, his wife Lalita (38), and their two sons Piyush (8), and Sunny (7), said police, as per PTI.
"On Sunday morning around 7 am, a PCR call was received at Alipur police station, saying one person was found lying unconscious at Khera Kalan village in Delhi. All four died due to suffocation, police remarked, as per PTI.
Later, Police found that the door of the room was locked from inside. "Our teams first broke the glass window and managed to open the door. Later, the team found four people inside the room in an unconscious state. They were rushed to the hospital, where doctors declared them dead," PTI quoted the officer as saying.
Police also added, Prima facie, it seems that all four died due to suffocation, police said. Further investigation and proceedings into the matter have been started under section 174 of the CrPC.
Delhi has been under the grip of coldwave conditions and people often lit AngIhiti, heaters to keep them warm.