Srinagar: A pall of gloom descended in Khanyar locality of Srinagar’s Old City area on Saturday when a couple and their three-year-old daughter were found charred to death in a blaze that broke out on Friday night.
Reports said the couple, however, managed to rescue their other daughter, who is only seven-year-old. She was identified as Saida Javaid.
Reports said a massive fire broke out isndie the house where Javaid Ahmad Hakak was living on rent at around midnight. They said that the fire turned the building into ashes within an hour.
Soon people started screaming about the fire, they rushed to the spot, but the massive flames kept them out of home.
“We screamed outside the house, but none from the family replied,” one of the locals said.
He added the fire tenders also didn’t reach the spot on time. “We risked out lives to go inside the house, but found three of the family burnt alive,” the local, visibly frightened by the incident said.
The deceased were identified as Javaid Ahmad Hakak, his wife, Safiya Javaid and their three-year-old daughter Hafsa Javaid.
Javaid, as per the locals, was living on the house on rent as his own house was under construction, located close to his rented accommodation.
According to the locals, the other daughter of the married couple was rescued by her father. “Their daughter said she was rescued by her father who told her that he was going to bring her sister and mother out but he didn’t come’,” the locals added.
Emotional scenes were witnessed at Dastgeer Sahab (RA) shrine where funeral prayers of the deceased were held on Saturday afternoon.

Witnesses said three rounds of funeral prayers were held for the deceased outside the shrine in which hundreds of people participated. The roads leading to the shrine was also sealed by the authorities during the funeral prayers.
The trio was later buried at their ancestral graveyard at Baha-ud-din Sahab, Hakim Shah Masjid in Gojwara area of Srinagar.
Superintendent of Police (SP) North, Al-Tahir Gilani told—KNO that the post-mortem has been conducted to the deceased and investigation is on.
Meanwhile, the district administration Srinagar has also announced Rs 15 lakh compensation to the Next of Kins (NoKs) of the deceased family.
The administration said the amount will be deposited into the account of deceased Javid’s daughter and also it will bear all the expenses including education of the lone survival of the family.