In a tragic incident, young actor Veer Sharma and his older brother Shaurya Sharma were killed in a fire at their home in the Deep Shree multi-storey building in Kota’s Anantpura locality, Rajasthan, on September 27. Veer, 10, and Shaurya, 15, were sleeping in their flat when dense smoke filled the flat with no opportunity for them to escape.
The boys are the sons of actress Rita Sharma, who also played roles in Crash Course, Crimes and Confessions, and Chahatein. Veer had also become popular with his role of young Lakshman in Sony SAB’s mythological show Veer Hanuman. He was also set to debut in Bollywood, playing the childhood avatar of Saif Ali Khan in a new movie, and was set to shoot for it in Mumbai this week.
Shaurya, the elder brother, was just as bright, working towards getting ready for the highly competitive IIT entrance exams. Their father, Jitendra Sharma, a faculty member at one of Kota’s coaching institutions, was at a bhajan function when the fire broke out, while their mother was in Mumbai.
The children suffocated in the thick smoke, police authorities say. Neighbours reported seeing the fire and tried to rescue the boys, but the two boys were pronounced dead upon admission at the hospital.
Initial reports indicate that a short circuit in the electrical system could have led to the fire. SP Tejeshwani Goutam confirmed that the living room was badly damaged and other parts of the house had burn marks. An FIR has been lodged under Section 194 of the BNSS Act as investigations into the cause and possible electrical negligence are ongoing.
The devastating loss has shocked the community and the industry at large.
