Patna, July 31 : A tragic incident shook the Janipur area of Patna on Thursday as two children -- both siblings -- were found charred to death at their house following a fire incident.

The incident has triggered shock, sadness and anger in the locality.

According to an official, the incident occurred between 12 p.m. and 1.30 p.m., when the siblings -- Anjali and Ansh -- aged 15 and 10, respectively, -- were at home after returning from school.

Both were reportedly asleep in their room when the fire broke out.

The father of the victims, Lalan Gupta, who works at the Election Commission office here, and their mother, a nurse at AIIMS Patna, were both away at work when the incident occurred.

As the fire spread, neighbours noticed smoke and alerted the authorities. By the time help arrived, the two children had lost their lives due to the fire's impact.

They were later discovered badly burnt on their bed, leaving the neighbours and the entire community in disbelief.

Visibly distraught, Lalan Gupta has alleged foul play and demanded a thorough police investigation.

He has called for the harshest punishment against those responsible for the tragedy.

'This is not an accident but murder. Someone has done this to my children. I want the culprits caught and punished severely,' he told reporters at the scene.

The police, after reaching the scene, have started a full-scale investigation into the cause of the fire and the sequence of events that led to the deaths.

'We are looking into all possible angles. The room was locked from the inside, which is unusual. A forensic team will assist in the investigation. We are also scanning the CCTV footage of the area to find some clues about how the fire broke out,' said an officer from the investigating team.

The tragic news spread rapidly, drawing a large crowd of concerned residents to the scene.

/IANS