AAP Accuses Delhi Government of Blaming Victims in Vivek Vihar Fire Tragedy, Questions Delay in Rescue Operations

Saurabh Bharadwaj alleges repeated pattern of shifting responsibility, raises concerns over fire response delay and pending inquiry report

New Delhi, May 6, 2026: Aam Aadmi Party Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj has strongly criticised the Delhi government over its handling of the Vivek Vihar fire tragedy, accusing it of shifting blame onto victims instead of addressing administrative failures in emergency response.

Addressing the incident in which nine people, including a young child, lost their lives after a fire broke out in a residential bungalow, Bharadwaj alleged that the government is attempting to justify its shortcomings by citing structural issues such as a single staircase and automatic locking systems. He claimed that such explanations were being used to divert attention from the real lapses in rescue operations.

He further stated that the narrative being presented by the authorities mirrors the response seen after the Palam fire incident, where similar arguments about storage conditions and narrow access lanes were used to attribute responsibility to victims. He argued that in both cases, families of the deceased are being indirectly held accountable for the tragedy.

Bharadwaj questioned the emergency response timeline, alleging that fire services took nearly 50 minutes to initiate rescue operations after reaching the site. He also raised concerns over reported low water pressure in fire brigade equipment, claiming that these factors may have worsened the outcome of the incident.

He further questioned Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Minister Ashish Sood over safety standards in residential buildings, pointing out that most homes in Delhi typically have only one staircase and asking whether such features should be considered grounds for assigning blame in fire accidents.

The AAP leader also referred to the March 18 Palam fire incident, demanding the release of the district magistrate’s inquiry report and alleging a lack of transparency in official investigations into repeated fire tragedies.

Bharadwaj said that residents have themselves raised concerns over delayed response and inadequate rescue efforts, arguing that timely intervention could have saved lives. He accused the government of avoiding accountability by focusing on alternative explanations rather than addressing systemic failures in emergency preparedness.

He added that such incidents highlight serious gaps in urban fire safety management and called for a comprehensive review of response mechanisms to prevent similar tragedies in the future.