Ludhiana, Oct. 31 -- A 27-year-old garment shop owner was charred to death after a fire broke out at his shop in Ludhiana's congested Field Ganj market on Friday afternoon, triggering a series of explosions.

The deceased, Sahil Sabharwal-nephew of local Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Goldy Sabharwal-was on the ground floor when he noticed the fire and rushed upstairs. Firecrackers allegedly stored illegally across four rooms on the second floor began exploding as the flames spread, trapping him inside the building belonging to his family.

While a suspected inverter short circuit is being investigated as the primary cause of the fire, the circumstances surrounding the initial explosion remain unclear. The unauthorised storage of firecracke...