Odhav factory fire deaths: Village in shock

A pall of gloom descended on Jamadhar, a tiny village in Jajpur district on Sunday, after three of its residents — Dayanidhi Khuntia (33), Chinmaya Khuntia (25) and Kamesh Singh (23) — on Saturday.
Talking to TOI over phone from the Gujarat capital, Raju Khuntia, 24, who escaped the fire that broke out on the third floor of Lotus Label Industries in Odhav, said, “We were asleep in a room on that floor when the fire broke out at 3pm. I managed to rush to the top floor but three of my friends died.”
Raju said the authorities in Gujarat had promised to send the trio’s bodies to Odisha soon. On Sunday, people in and around Jamadhar and its neighbouring villages began gathering in front of the houses of the deceased. Laxmi, the 68-year-old widowed mother of Dayanidhi, sat frozen with shock and disbelief. She has been unable to speak properly ever since she learnt of her son’s death.
“My son had called me a few days ago, saying he would return by March 9 to celebrate Holi,” Laxmi said in a feeble voice. “I don’t know what the future will hold for me.” Dayanidhi leaves behind his mother, his wife Sraddhanjali and two minor daughters.