Father of Biswaranjan Satpathy, one of the deceased, at Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela. Picture by Uttam Kumar Pal

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 1: Security was stepped up in and around the Ispat General Hospital (IGH) at Rourkela today as the death roll in Tuesday's fire at a private house in Jagda colony rose to five.

Four of the deceased were engineering students who sustained severe burn injuries when the room where they were having dinner had been set on fire by the house owner, a retired Rourkela Steel Plant employee, to settle scores with his sons who were allegedly mistreating him. One of the two sons of the house owner and prime accused, 75-year-old Akshaya Swain, was also killed in the tragedy.

Sources said that security at the IGH had to be tightened after Biswaranjan Satpathy and Buddhadev Minz, both students of local Padmnav Engineering College, succumbed to their injuries at the hospital last night. While Biswaranjan died around 8pm, Minz breathed his last three hours later. Earlier, two other students Gopal Pradhan and Phelix Ekka had succumbed at the hospital. Tension gripped IGH as Biswaranjan's death was announced by the hospital authorities with his parents alleging neglect in his treatment. Ten platoons of police force was deployed in and around the hospital. Senior officials including, Rourkela superintendent of police Diptesh Patnaik also rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control. Minz’s post mortem was performed at the Panposh sub-divisional hospital before the body was handed over to his family.

Sources said police had subjected Philmunj Soren alias Sunil, a plumber, who was arrested yesterday on charges of aiding and abetting the crime, to intensive interrogation. Sunil, who claimed innocence, was alleged to have supplied the can filled with petrol to Swain who confessed to have planned the killing of his son Ajit, grandson Anup and his friends as they used to torture him and his wife.

The accused told the police that he had bought five litres of petrol 15 days before the incident as he wanted to eliminate his sons and grandson.