On Monday, thick black smoke billowed from a commercial complex in Aliganj as desperate calls for help echoed from inside. By Tuesday, the smoke had given way to funeral pyres and the cries of grieving families.Shrey Srivastava, who studied with Sagar Pant, mourns the loss of his childhood friend killed in the Aliganj fire tragedy. (HT Photo)The day began in the corridors of KGMU’s postmortem house, where relatives waited through the night to receive the bodies of those killed in the blaze. It ended at cremation grounds in Lucknow and on highways leading to distant hometowns, as families carried back sons, daughters and siblings whose lives had ended in a matter of minutes.Outside the mortuary, grief unfolded in silence and sobs. Lying nearly unconscious on a bench, the mother of 29-year-old Anamika Samant struggled to accept that her daughter would never return home. Having rushed from Kolkata after receiving news of the tragedy, she repeatedly broke down as relatives tried to comfort her. “I could not be with her in her final moments,” she said through tears.Anamika’s father, Bishwanath Samant, stood nearby completing formalities. The family, which includes a son working in Kolkata and Anamika, who had been living in Lucknow for the past three years, prepared for a journey they had never imagined making. After the postmortem examination, her body was placed in an ambulance for the nearly 25-hour trip to Kolkata, where her last rites will be performed.A few metres away, another family waited for 24-year-old Shaumalya Birah. His cousin, Shubham Malik, had spent hours outside the mortuary handling paperwork and coordinating with relatives. He remained composed until hospital staff allowed him one final glimpse of Shaumalya’s face. Moments later, he broke down.Family members said Shaumalya was to get engaged in December and preparations had already begun.Among the victims was 28-year-old Sagar Panth. As his body was taken to his home in Kalyanpur, childhood friend Shrey Srivastava struggled to find words. “We grew up together. We studied together. He had recently started working at the animation company. None of us imagined that this would be our last conversation,” he said.As ambulances slowly rolled out of the hospital premises carrying victims to Lucknow, Kolkata and other destinations, another scene of mourning unfolded at Bhaisakund Dham.Families stood around the cremation ground, many unable to hold back tears as priests recited final prayers. Some stared silently at the flames. Others questioned how a building that had allegedly faced safety concerns continued to operate until disaster struck.By around 11 am, the bodies of two victims had reached Bhaisakund Dham. One of them was Nilesh Kumar, who had worked at an animation centre in the building for the past three to four years. Mohd Ansari, who knew him, said the tragedy had devastated the family. “It is an irreparable loss. The family has lost its son. The culprits must face strict punishment,” he said.Standing beside the funeral pyre, Nilesh’s relative Samrendra Kumar questioned why authorities allegedly failed to act on a demolition order reportedly issued against the building in 2016.“No one can bring our deceased back. Authorities speak of action, but later everything returns to normal. How did such a building continue to operate for years?” he asked.Another relative questioned whether the ₹5 lakh compensation announced for each victim would be enough to support affected families in the years ahead.Among those cremated was 25-year-old Jyoti. Her brother Shivam described the tragedy as a “system failure” and questioned the safety of commercial establishments across the city.Relatives also raised questions about safety audits conducted by the Lucknow Development Authority and the Fire Department, saying several lives could have been saved had violations been identified and the building sealed earlier.BJP leader Neeraj Singh visited the cremation ground and paid tribute to victims Nilesh Gautam of Martin Purva and Jyoti of Gyan Vihar. Meeting family members, he expressed condolences and called for strict action against those found responsible.“The loss of 15 innocent children has deeply saddened us all. We must take strong and effective steps to prevent such tragedies in the future. The CM has ordered an SIT inquiry, and those responsible must face strict legal action,” he said.The fire in Aliganj’s Sector D area claimed 15 lives and left nine others injured. Five of those killed were from Lucknow, while the others belonged to Kanpur, Barabanki and Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh, as well as Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and West Bengal.