Mumbai's Juhu Galli devastated by tragedy ahead of Eid al-Fitr

Mumbai: Shops in Juhu Galli, Andheri, closed as a mark of respect to the members of the Khan family who were killed in Thursday’s fire at their home. Mohsin Khan (62), the patriarch of the family, who was among the survivors, received mourners in his Azad Cloth Store.
“I own the medical store where the fire originated, I own this shop, and I have a business in Santa Cruz.But what is the use of all my wealth if I could do nothing to save my entire family from being wiped out. My daughters-inlaw are dead, my small grandchildren are dead, my unborn grandchild is dead. My own wife is dead, whose shoulder do I cry on?” he said.
Neighbours said “Mohsinbhai” had stepped out for Fajr (morning) namaz, and so he escaped the blaze. “It was we who first heard small blasts and noticed smoke rising from the medical store. We called out to them, but the family was in deep slumber after having risen early for ‘suhoor’ (the pre-dawn meal during Ramzan),” said a local political party worker.
Fate came calling with a determined hand, leaving no room for escape. The trapped family tried to flee, but the main exit of the first-floor flat was an iron ladder that led to the medical store, whose shutters were locked on the inside, making it impossible to escape. “Moreover, since electric current had leaked after the short circuit, my family must have been afraid they would be electrocuted on the iron ladder,” Khan said.
“Aerosol sprays and cans in the medical store began to pop and emit harmful gases, adding to the horror,” said a neighbour Kausarbhai, who tried to mount a rescue. Another neighbour, Aneesa, said the family sought refuge on the upper storeys, but was overpowered by smoke. “One child rushed inside a cupboard as the room filled with fumes. He was found lying dead there,” she said.
“Nobody had even seen the faces of the daughters-in-law of the house. They were ‘pardanasheen’ (observing purdah), and seldom stepped out even to buy grocery or take the children to school. The men did the outdoor chores,” she said.
Meanwhile, around 100 residents of Juhu Galli thronged the post mortem centre at Cooper Hospital. They were shaken by the loss of the pious family that had organized a community iftar just two days ago.
“It is believed that Muslims who pass during Ramzan attain a seat in heaven. But the manner of death in this case is so gruesome it breaks our hearts. Saturday is Shab e’ Qadr, the most important roza of Ramzan, and Id ul’ Fitr falls on July 6. The usual gaiety and celebration will be absent in Juhu Galli this year,” said another resident, Anwarbhai.
Senior police inspectors from D N Nagar, which oversees Juhu Galli, and Juhu, where Cooper is located, discussed the horrors of the day. Officer Dhanaji Nalawade recalled the sight of the nine corpses with a shudder. His colleague from Juhu, Sunil Ghosalkar, said, “Never mind the years spent in the force; one is always shocked by gruesome deaths.”
Across the road the gravediggers of Irla Masjid spent the afternoon excavating nine burial sites ahead of the funerals scheduled for 10pm.