The Das family’s shanty in the Charu Market area set ablaze on Wednesday. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Eight-month-old Mridunmoy and his parents would have been charred to death early on Wednesday had not neighbours rescued them from their Charu Market shanty, set on fire allegedly by two brothers.

The child and his parents, Mrinmoy and Shampa Das, suffered severe burns and were admitted to MR Bangur Hospital. One of the rescuers, Brahmananda Sharma, was also injured.

The pet dog of Mrinmoy and Shampa was sent to the People for Animals, Calcutta.

The accused brothers, Bacchu and Ashoke Das, have been arrested following a complaint lodged by the couple.

They have been charged with “setting a property on fire with an intention to destroy it and committing mischief for causing death”.

Police said the incident was a sequel to a feud between the couple and the brothers, who were next-door neighbours.

“Bacchu and Ashoke wanted to purchase the shanty where the family had been staying for the past couple of years. Landlady Renuka Bhattacharya had agreed to sell the premises,” said P.K. Chatterjee, deputy commissioner of police (headquarters).

“It seems the brothers had initiated efforts to evict the family. Mrinmoy also mentioned in his complaint that the brothers used to torture him and his wife,” Chatterjee added.

Neighbours noticed smoke billowing from the shanty on Sultan Alam Road around 4.30am. They immediately rushed to the spot and found the three trapped in the room.

“The situation was fast spinning out of control. Some of us started pouring water on the flames, while the others entered the room after breaking open the door. One of our neighbours, Sharma, played the lead role in the rescue operation. He brought out the child and the woman,” said Ratan Daw, one of the neighbours.

The condition of the child and Sharma was stated to be critical by the authorities of MR Bangur Hospital.