4 of family, including 2 children, killed in Odisha fire; short circuit suspected: Cops
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, though a short circuit is suspected, the police said.
Four members of a family, including two children aged 11 years and eight months, were burnt alive in a fire that broke out in their house in Odisha’s Jajpur district, police said on Sunday.

The incident occurred around 8pm on Saturday, at Sk Nizam Uddin’s residence in Nalipur village under Badachana block of Jajpur district. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, though a short circuit is suspected, the police said.
According to local resident Ajay Kumar Samal, Nizamuddin arrived from Gopalpur on Saturday with his daughter and grandchildren. "The fire broke out when his elder daughter-in-law was cooking. His daughter, daughter-in-law and the two children died in the incident," Samal said.
On being informed, fire services personnel from Chandikhol and Balichandrapur police rushed to the spot and launched firefighting and rescue operations.
The deceased were identified as Nizamuddin's daughter Gul Afsa Parveen (26), daughter-in-law Tabassum Parveen (40), granddaughter Roshni Parveen (11) and an eight-month-old grandson, Jajpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Yashpratap Shrimal said.
A youth sustained serious burn injuries in the incident. He was initially admitted to the Badachana Community Health Centre but later shifted to Cuttack after his condition deteriorated.
ABOUT THE AUTHORDebabrata MohantyDebabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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