3 min readNew DelhiMar 20, 2026 05:49 PM IST
Aam Aadmi Party Delhi Unit President Saurabh Bhardwaj on Friday levelled allegations against the local Bharatiiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the Palam fire tragedy, claiming that authorities failed to act in time and “allowed people to die” to avoid reputational damage.
Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters, Bhardwaj said that despite a malfunction in the fire brigade’s hydraulic lift, local residents had attempted to rescue those trapped inside the building. However, he alleged that officials did not cooperate.
“After the hydraulic lift failed, people requested that the fire brigade vehicle be moved so that mattresses could be laid out. But the vehicle was not removed,” he said. “The government thought if people were saved using mattresses, its failure would be exposed. So they let nine people die.”
Referring to videos from the scene, Bhardwaj claimed some victims were still alive when rescue teams arrived but could not be reached due to equipment failure. (Special Arrangement)
Drawing parallels with the earlier Janakpuri incident involving a 25-year-old man named Kamal Dhyani, Bhardwaj alleged that the BJP was again trying to shift blame onto the victims. “Just like in that case, they now want to blame those who died in the Palam fire to hide their own failure,” he said.
He further alleged that BJP workers disrupted a condolence meeting attended by Arvind Kejriwal to prevent discussion on the causes of the deaths. “They didn’t want any conversation about why nine people died,” he claimed.
Bhardwaj described the sequence of events, saying a mattress shop next to the building had hundreds of mattresses that could have been used to cushion jumps from the third floor. “Around 500 locals were requesting police and fire officials to let them help. If mattresses had been laid, people could have survived,” he said.
He also questioned official claims regarding access issues. “They say the road was narrow or there was traffic, but it was a 30-foot-wide road and it was early morning. How could there be traffic?” he asked.
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Referring to videos from the scene, Bhardwaj claimed some victims were still alive when rescue teams arrived but could not be reached due to equipment failure. He also alleged attempts to suppress evidence by preventing people from recording videos.
Calling the incident a result of “gross negligence,” Bhardwaj said, “This could happen to any family tomorrow,” adding that AAP would continue to raise the issue despite alleged intimidation.
