Orphaned, homeless and now suffering from chicken pox, Hridesh Shaw, 18, tries hard to keep from breaking down, while brother Dilesh, 15, has gone silent with shock. Pictures by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Mother Kewala Devi early on Thursday; sister Deepali early on Friday; father Ram Bahadur early on Monday.... Hridesh Shaw, 18, and Dilesh Shaw, 15, have lost three family members in the past four days.

The world of the Shaws — the one-room address at 276 GT Road, in Howrah — was reduced to rubble in a blaze early on Thursday. And it is up to the two teenaged brothers to pick up the pieces.

The final blow for the Shaws came on Monday morning, around 3am, when Ram Bahadur, 50, succumbed to his burns in Howrah District Hospital.

“Ram Bahadur had been admitted with more then 60 per cent burns. He was in agony,” said Nayan Chandra, the superintendent of Howrah District Hospital.

Ram Bahadur’s wife Kewala Devi died on the spot after the blaze on Thursday, while 13-year-old daughter Deepali died in hospital 24 hours later.

Landlord Kashinath Jaiswal stands accused of setting the fire by pumping gas from an LPG cylinder into the Shaw home.

The alleged motive: wiping out the family that was resisting the move to turn the slum into a multi-storeyed building.

Jaiswal and his associate Amarnath Prasad were produced in Howrah court on Friday and remanded in police custody till February 17.

Dilesh escaped with minor injuries as he was the furthest from the pipeline through which the gas was pumped into the room.

Hridesh was spending the night studying at his tutor’s house in Shalimar when his home was allegedly torched.

“Even if Kashinath Jaiswal is punished for what he has done, will I get my parents and sister back?” demanded Hridesh on Monday, fighting back tears of hurt and anger.

“At this time last week, I was busy preparing for my Class XI finals. I was determined to do well. Today, I am left with nothing. How can I think of my future? I also have the responsibility of looking after my younger brother. We do not have a roof above our heads,” added Hridesh.

Dilesh has gone silent with shock.

Both brothers study at Maria’s Day School, in Howrah. Hridesh is a school topper, having scored 97 per cent in his Class X exams.

He had assured father Ram Bahadur — who would ferry loaves of bread to shops in the area to fund his children’s education — that he would do even better in his Class XII exams. Now, orphaned, homeless — and also suffering from chicken pox — Hridesh’s academic dreams lie in tatters.

His books and notes were reduced to ashes in the killer blaze.

Hridesh’s school is standing by its best boy in his darkest hour. “Their food and shelter will be taken care of, but what they really need is security. What if the landlord tries to harm Dilesh, who is a witness? And who knows what scars these boys will bear after such a tragedy,” said Maria’s Day School principal Amitabha Dutta.

The Telegraph Education Foundation has pledged to support Hridesh in his pursuit of higher studies.