As man injured, wife dead in fire, friend flies to Srinagar to bring family to Delhi

Umar Rafiq's friends tried desperately to reach his family in Srinagar on phone or through internet to inform them that he has been injured and his wife has died in a fire incident in Delhi's Zakir Nagar.

But they could not as communication lines to parts of the Valley have been shut for the past three days in the wake of the government's move to abrogate Jammu and Kashmir's special status. Finally, his friend Majeed Khan had to fly to Srinagar to inform the family about the tragedy and bring them to the national capital.

Rafiq, a 30-year-old tailor by profession, lost his wife Soha in a blaze at a four-storey building in the Southeast Delhi area early Tuesday. Five more people died in the fire.

Rafiq, who resided on the third floor of the building, managed to escape the fire with minor injuries, but Soha died.

Until late Tuesday afternoon, Rafiq was unaware about his wife's death and his friends thought it would be better to inform his family in the meantime.

Rafiq and Soha hail from