New Delhi: A fire broke out at a shelter home near Kashmere Gate here on Saturday but was doused within 45 minutes before it could cause any damage. No casualties have been reported so far.
Information about the blaze was received at around 6pm, following which five fire tenders were rushed to the spot, said the fire department. The fire personnel managed to douse the blaze soon after reaching the spot.
The police said a number of homeless people protested and pelted stone before torching the shelter house in connection with an incident that took place on Friday.
The homeless, who were being served food by the Delhi government amid the nationwide lockdown, were asked to practise social distancing, but disobeyed. A civil defence volunteer allegedly hit one of the homeless men with a stick for not following the queue and maintaining distance. As a protest, four of them jumped into the canal, said the police.
The police said while all four of them returned, they claimed one of their friends was still in the canal. Although divers were called in and a search operation was conducted, nothing was found.
The homeless men on Saturday retrieved a dead body from the canal, claiming it was one of their acquaintance. They started protesting with the body and pelted stone at the PCR van. The police later took the body into custody and are waiting for identification after which a postmortem will be conducted.
The homeless men also pelted stones and torched the shelter home. A case has been registered.
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