Circus fire: Charred in cages

‘‘Watch your step, you could be stepping on some of the bodies.’’ Though shaken, Salman, a performer at Russian Circus, ...

‘‘Watch your step, you could be stepping on some of the bodies.’’ Though shaken, Salman, a performer at Russian Circus, was careful to ensure that the nobody stepped on the victims of a fire that broke out at the circus venue, Chitrakoot Grounds, Andheri, this afternoon.

The blaze near the animals’ cages killed seven dogs and cats and four sea lions. Two dogs survived.

The dogs’ bodies were still inside the cages when Express visited the sprawling ground. Trapped inside, their clenched claws were still stuck to the cages. Charred beyond recognition, the bodies of the sea lions were piled up in one corner of the ground.

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Though the tents had already been dismantled, the fire spread due to the wooden boxes and plastic sheets that were stored near the cages.

The circus had ended on March 27, but circus director N. Nicholas said the animals could not be moved because there was a problem with documents.

The incident has angered animal rights activists. ‘‘It is very unfortunate and shocking that the animals died so painfully,’’ said Col (Retd) J.C. Khanna, secretary of Bombay Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). ‘‘SPCA members have gone to the venue to find out what happened. We will see if the deaths were due to sheer negligence.’’

Khanna is also a member of the Animal Welfare Board of India, which had approached the Bombay HC last month asking it to cancel the circus’s licence as the shows were not kind to animals like the sea lions. But the court ruled in favour of the circus and permitted animal acts.

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J. Shah, one of the circus financiers in Mumbai, said there was no question of any foul play. ‘‘The circus’s insurance,’’ he said, ‘‘had expired two days ago.’’

IO Inspector Subhash Magade and Police Inspector Shailesh Gaikwad were at the spot. Prima facie, they said, it seemed like a short circuit had caused the blaze. No arrests have been made.