The boy, Cadet Amit Raj, is a class 10 student of Sainik School in West Bengal’s Purulia. His father, Bhushan Kumar, who is a contract labourer in Mumbai, said that the incident occurred on 3 December.
The boy showed exemplary courage and entered the house and saved three kids while sustaining 95% burn in the process.
His father told The Sunday Guardian: “I was in Mumbai when this incident happened. Amit had come here due to lockdown and didn’t go back and he was attending online classes. People said that there was a gas leak in a neighbour’s house. He was jogging at around 6 am that day. He ran towards the house when he heard the screams. He tried to stop the fire and save the kids, but he was caught in flames.”
His father said that they took him to a nearby hospital where he was referred to a hospital in Patna.
“After his school got to know about the incident, they took him to Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital on 9 December for treatment. I came back from Mumbai on 6 December. He was fine till 12 December, talking to me and eating, but later that night his condition worsened. He passed away at around 12 noon on 13 December,” his father said.
His father also said he did what he had to do and he is proud that he sacrificed his life for others.