2 brothers among 3 Jharkhand workers dead in Goa nightclub fire

Fatehpur (Ranchi): Three youths from Ranchi and Khunti lost their lives in the Goa nightclub fire incident, sending shockwaves through their native villages on Sunday.The deceased included two brothers, Pradeep Mahto (24) and Binod Mahto (22), from Fatehpur in the Lapung block of Ranchi, approximately 50 km away from the district headquarters, and Mohit Munda (18), a resident of the neighbouring Gobindpur village in the Karra block of Khunti district.Pradeep and Binod worked as helpers in the club, and both were unmarried. They left their villages for work in the middle of this year. They are survived by their father, an elder brother and his wife.The elder brother of the victims, Phagu Mahto, said, “The officer-in-charge of Lapung police station visited us and assured us that the administration would provide all possible help. We have sought to bring their bodies to the village.”"A youth who worked in a nearby establishment called us around 1 pm and informed us about the incident. We were three brothers, of whom two died. I, along with my father, work as helpers in a hotel here. The income is not enough to run the family, so we were dependent on monetary help from my brothers for our livelihood. Now, it will be difficult for us to fulfil our basic needs,” Phagu rued.The father of the victims, Dhaneshwar Mahto, said, “We hope that the administration will provide us with some aid, which could be given under such circumstances.”

At Gobindpur village, the family members, including Mohit’s parents and sister, were sitting on the floor, grieving his death. Mohit’s elder brother, Sunil Munda, said, “We came to know about the incident around 2 am from a youth who worked nearby. Mohit had to leave the village to earn a livelihood, as there are no employment opportunities here. Another brother of mine, Vikas Munda, is also working in Goa.”Local representatives, along with a large number of people, thronged the mud houses of the victims to express their sorrow.

The local mukhiya was seen helping the family members complete the formalities for bringing the bodies back to the village.When contacted, Ranchi DC Manjunath Bhajantri said, “I have asked the local block development officer and the police to contact the affected family from the district. We will try to provide financial aid to the family according to the provisions of the labour department.”