🔥 Case Study: Kota Apartment Fire – The Tragic Loss of Child Actor Veer Sharma & His Brother

📅 Date & Location

Date: 28 September 2025 (early morning)
Location: Deep Shree Apartment, Anantpura area, Kota, Rajasthan
Victims: Child actor Veer Sharma (9) and his brother Shaurya Sharma (13)

🕯 What Happened?

Around 3:45 AM, a fire broke out inside a flat on the second floor of Deep Shree Apartments in the Anantpura area of Kota.
The blaze was reportedly triggered by a short circuit in an air-conditioner, which ignited nearby household materials.
The two children, Veer and Shaurya, were asleep in their bedroom while their mother, TV actress Pushkal Sharma, was in another room.
Heavy smoke rapidly filled the apartment, leading to suffocation before the flames could even reach the children.
The mother attempted to rescue them but was overcome by smoke; neighbours and fire personnel later broke open the door to retrieve the bodies.
Both children were declared dead at the hospital.
The tragedy shocked the film and television fraternity nationwide, prompting widespread appeals for home fire safety awareness.

🔍 Mistakes / What Went Wrong

Electrical short circuit in AC unit — common but deadly when unnoticed.
No smoke detector or alarm system — the fire went unnoticed until it was too late.
Closed doors and windows trapped the smoke inside the bedroom.
Combustible furnishings and wiring accelerated smoke density.
Delayed detection — family woke only after smoke spread throughout the flat.
Absence of emergency awareness — no immediate access to fire extinguisher or blanket.

⚖ Hidden / Less-Mentioned Truths

The victims did not die of burns, but due to asphyxiation from toxic smoke — a silent killer in most indoor fires.
Experts later confirmed that a ₹500 smoke detector could have saved their lives by alerting the family within seconds of smoke formation.
The fire was confined to the room, yet the smoke filled the entire flat, illustrating how invisible dangers spread faster than flames.
The tragedy exposed a broader issue — lack of residential fire safety culture in Indian urban housing.

🧯 How Could It Have Been Prevented?

Installation of smoke and heat detectors in every room.
Regular maintenance of AC units and electrical wiring.
Keeping Life Safety Blanket (LSB) and small fire extinguisher near bedrooms.
Training families on night-time fire response and evacuation.
Use of fire-retardant interiors (curtains, mattresses, wiring covers).
Keeping bedroom doors slightly ajar at night for early smoke detection.
Emergency drills for children – how to escape or alert others.

🛡 Survival Guide (If You Face a Fire While Sleeping)

If you smell smoke, stay low – air near the floor is cleaner.
Do not open hot doors – feel handle before touching.
Cover mouth and nose with wet cloth; crawl toward nearest exit.
Shout to wake others immediately.
Move toward windows or balcony and signal for help.
If trapped, seal door gaps with wet towels to block smoke.
Never hide under beds or in bathrooms.
Call 101 / 112 once in a safe zone.
Keep a torchlight or whistle near your bedside.
Every home must have smoke alarms and emergency lighting.

📊 Data / Stats Box

Deaths: 2 (Veer & Shaurya Sharma)
Cause: Electrical short circuit in AC unit
Time: Around 3:45 AM
Location: Bedroom of second-floor flat
Primary cause of death: Suffocation from smoke
Fire tenders: 2 units; blaze doused within 30 minutes
Damage: Room and AC unit destroyed; flat filled with dense smoke

📽 Visuals (Collected / Suggested)

🙏 Voices / Human Angle

The victims were sons of TV actress Pushkal Sharma, known for her role in Shrimad Ramayan (Sony SAB).
Family and industry colleagues mourned: “They were full of life and talent — gone too soon.”
Neighbours described the mother’s desperate attempts to open the door amid rising smoke.
The incident sparked a nationwide discussion on home safety and child preparedness.

📢 Systemic Lessons

Home fire safety is as critical as building fire codes — yet often ignored.
Every apartment should have mandatory smoke alarms and night-time inspection protocols.
Builders and RWAs must conduct quarterly electrical audits.
Parents must teach children basic emergency instincts (call, crawl, alert).
City fire departments should run awareness campaigns after every tragedy.

💡 What You Can Do Today

✅ Install smoke detectors in every room — cost less than a family dinner.
✅ Schedule annual electrical inspection of ACs and wiring.
✅ Keep LSB or fire extinguisher accessible near bedrooms.
✅ Discuss fire response plan with children.
✅ Share this story — prevention begins with awareness.

🔚 Closing Line

“A spark took two young stars away before sunrise — a reminder that awareness and a small alarm can be the difference between heartbreak and survival.”