Four of Ludhiana village burnt to death in Brampton house

A pall of gloom descended on Guram village in Ludhiana district near here when five members of a family of the village died in a massive house fire at their residence in Brampton in Canada about a week ago.

The deceased included an unborn child of Arashveer Kaur, who saved her life by jumping from the roof, but suffered an abortion.

Happy Shankar, a close relative of the aggrieved family, said Jugraj Singh was the only member of the joint family living in the house, who escaped the massive fire that caught his house last Thursday.

Jugraj’s mother-in-law, one unmarried sister-in-law, a niece and his wife’s cousin died inside the house while his wife Arashvir Kaur got injured after she jumped to save her life, resulting in the abortion.

Former sarpanch of Shankar village Ranvir Singh Mehmi said the deceased included one unmarried girl from his village, who was also burnt alive inside the house. Mehmi said most of the members of the joint family had settled in various parts of Canada a few years ago and those living here have also left for Canada after receiving the information.

“As the family and close relatives are still in shock, nothing can be said about the last rites of the deceased,” said Mehmi, regretting that a “peasant family that had settled in Canada in search of greener pastures was devastated for no fault of theirs”.