Fireman dies, kin insist ‘Shahid’ title

Mumbai: Fireman from the Byculla fire station, Rajendra Bhojane, who was electrocuted with 65 per cent burns while rescuing a kite on December 10, succumbed to his injuries at the National Burns Centre at Airoli on New Year’s Eve. While the fire brigade gave him the official guard of honour on Sunday, Bhojane’s family initially refused to accept his body, demanding compensation for his death. The family demanded that Bhojane be given status of martyrdom with the title ‘Shahid’ and that his family be appropriately compensated immediately. The fire brigade had to take help from the Byculla police on Sunday to ensure peaceful handover of Bhojane’s body.

The Bhojane family was promised that due compensation and title would be given as soon as requisite papers were processed. However, fire officials said they managed to convince the family to take the fireman’s body, but a fire union intervened at the eleventh hour. The fire brigade then sought help from the Byculla police to keep the union at bay. Chief fire officer of the Mumbai fire brigade, P. Rahangdale, said, “I called the zonal DCP and asked for police bandobast. If the family has agreed to take the body, the union has no role to play. The body was handed over by Saturday afternoon.”

Pravin Kumar Padval, DCP of the Byculla said, “The senior police inspector of the Byculla police station, along with some police officials, were deputed to the fire brigade headquarters in Byculla. However, the body was handed over peacefully.” Bhojane was one of the three fire officials who were electrocuted while trying to rescue a Kite stuck in a high-tension electric wire outside Mahalaxmi Race course.