Senior cop Sahay succumbs to burns

Police do not suspect foul play, have registered a case of accidental death based on statements given by family

MUMBAI: Additional director general of police (housing) Ranjit Kumar Sahay, 52, succumbed to burns on Thursday morning after a 17-day battle. The Malabar Hill police have registered an accidental death report in the case.

Sahay, who was hospitalised with 55% burns on September 15, was stated to be in stable though critical condition, but developed kidney failure on Wednesday. “He also had swelling in the brain. Though the quantum of burns was less, the affected areas were critical,” said Dr Sagar Sakle, spokesperson of Bombay Hospital.

Sahay suffered cardiac arrest on Thursday, leading to multiple organ failure. He was declared dead at around 8.45am, police said.

The body will be handed over to the family after a post-mortem, and the final rites will be conducted with full state honours on Friday.

Though the police could not record Sahay’s statement owing to his severe condition, they have ruled out foul play based on the statements given by his wife and daughter, who have said the incident was an accident. Besides, Sahay had told doctors at the clinic he was admitted to that he slipped and fell down when a bottle filled with petrol spilled, leading to the fire as a lamp was burning in the small temple in his Malabar Hill flat.

Sahay was spotted by his wife at his official residence on the first floor of Avanti Apartment on Narayan Dabholkar Road after midnight. Police were informed after more than 12 hours of the incident.

Police first recorded the statements of two IPS officers, who live next door, in which they said they were informed about the incident by Sahay’s wife, following which they rushed him to the hospital.

The statement of Sahay’s wife was recorded on September 23, in which she said she was in another room when she heard loud noises and rushed to douse the fire.

During the panchnama of Sahay’s residence, investigators found a bottle filled with petrol. Sahay’s daughter corroborated the sequence of events.

Sahay’s wife said they had stored petrol in the house for a ‘hawan’ (a religious ceremony), and it was also used for cleaning his police cap.