Kota: Eight-year-old television actor Veer Sharma, known for his role as Pushkal in Sony SAB’s Shrimad Ramayan, and his 16-year-old brother Shoriya died in a tragic house fire in Rajasthan’s Kota early on Sunday, police confirmed.

The incident occurred around 2 am at the family's fourth-floor flat in the Deepshree building, under the jurisdiction of Anantpura police station. At the time, the boys were alone at home. Their father, Jitendra Sharma, a coaching institute teacher, was attending a bhajan event, while their mother, actor Rita Sharma, was in Mumbai.

According to Kota City SP Tejeshwani Goutam, a short circuit is believed to have triggered the fire, which was largely confined to the drawing room. The children, who were asleep, are thought to have died due to smoke inhalation rather than burns.

Neighbours noticed smoke coming from the flat and acted swiftly, breaking down the door and pulling the unconscious children out. They were rushed to hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. Residents used fire extinguishers installed in the building to put out the blaze—no fire tenders were called to the scene, police said.

The fire gutted the drawing room and its contents, while the rest of the flat remained largely unaffected.

The boys' bodies were handed over to the family after the arrival of their mother from Mumbai. As per the family's wishes, the children's eyes were donated to an eye bank.

An FIR has been registered under section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS), and an investigation is underway.

(With PTI inputs)