Rajkot:

The Rajkot police on Thursday arrested four government officials, including a town planning officer (TPO), in connection with the devastating fire at TRP game zone on May 25 that claimed 27 lives.

TPO MD Sagathia, assistant TPOs Mukesh Makwana and Gautam Joshi, and former station officer of Kalavad Road fire station Rohit Vigora were arrested, taking the total number of people in custody to nine, said an official.

“Four government officials have been arrested,” confirmed state Director General of Police Vikas Sahay.

Nine officials have been suspended in connection with the incident for alleged “gross negligence in allowing the game zone to operate without necessary approvals”, as per a government release.

These include Joshi, Vigora, Rajkot’s Chief Fire Officer IV Kher, his deputy BJ Theba, assistant engineer in the Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s town planning department Jaideep Chaudhary, Roads and Buildings Department’s Deputy Executive Engineers MR Suma and Paras Kothiya, and police inspectors VR Patel and NI Rathod.

Three IPS officers, including then police commissioner Raju Bhargava, were shunted out of the city after the fire tragedy.

On Thursday, senior IPS officer Subhash Trivedi, who is heading a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Gujarat government to probe the incident, questioned former fire chief Kher at the state police headquarters in Gandhinagar for nearly three hours, sources said.

Incidentally, Mr Kher had earlier revealed the game zone was running without the mandatory fire NOC (No Objection Certificate) as the management had never applied for it.

On Monday, the Gujarat High Court had come down heavily on the Rajkot civic body over the game zone fire, saying it did not have faith in the state machinery that gets into action only after innocent lives are lost.

The high court had asked Rajkot Municipal Corporation if it had turned a blind eye to such a big structure coming up in its vicinity after the civic body’s lawyer submitted that the TRP Game Zone, which was set up in the city’s Nana-Mava locality, had not sought requisite permissions.

The nine persons held for the tragedy include four owners and a manager of TRP Gaming Zone.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

In a major action in the Rajkot gaming zone fire that killed 27 people, including nine children, the police have detained a fire officer and the town planning officer for questioning. 

Town Planning Officer MD Sagathia and Fire Officer BJ Theba, both from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation, were detained by the Rajkot Crime Branch on Wednesday afternoon. The officials are being interrogated and the key questions that will be asked of them are how the TRP Gaming Zone, where the tragedy occurred on Saturday, was operating only with an entertainment licence and without a no-objection certificate, an approved layout plan, building-use certificate and the proper fire clearances. 

Four owners of the establishment – Yuvrajsinh Solanki, Rahul Rathod, Dhaval Thakkar and Kiritsinh Jadeja – are among five people who have been arrested in the case and a fifth – Prakash Hiran – perished in the fire, a DNA test had revealed on Tuesday. The manager, Nitin Jain, is also in police custody. 

The accused have been charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 304 (culpable homicide), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 337 (causing hurt by an act that endangers the life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt to a person by doing an act that endangers their life or personal safety) and 114 (someone present when the offence is committed).

The chief of the special investigation team set up to probe the fire said that the team has been given the go-ahead to question even senior IAS and IPS officials if needed. 

Addressing the media after Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi met the team, the SIT chief, Subhash Trivedi, said, “We have been instructed to probe the roles of officers associated with Rajkot Municipal Corporation, fire department, police and power utility firm and take stern action if they are found guilty.” 

“MoS Home (Sanghavi) has clearly told us to question even senior government employees, including IAS and IPS officials, if needed. In the coming days, they will be called by the SIT for the purpose of investigation. The SIT is also probing the role of each of the seven government employees, including two police officers, who have already been suspended,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. 

The Rajkot Police are investigating the case separately. 

On Monday, the Gujarat High Court had come down hard on the Rajkot Municipal Corportation. 

“This has been going on for two-and-a-half years (referring to the Rajkot gaming zone). Are we to assume you turned a blind eye? What do you and your followers do… Have you gone blind? Did you fall asleep? Now we do not trust the local system and the state,” the bench had thundered. 

The Rajkot Municipal Commissioner, Anand Patel, and Police Commissioner, Raju Bhargava, have been transferred. 
 

Ahmedabad:

The identities of nine bodies recovered from the fire-ravaged TRP Game Zone in Rajkot have been established through DNA analysis, said Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi on Monday.

As many as 27 persons, including children, were killed in a massive fire at the recreation centre on May 25. Since the bodies were charred beyond recognition, the state government is taking the help of a forensic science lab to identify the victims through DNA profiling.

As the process is time-consuming, several anxious families waiting outside the Rajkot Civil Hospital to collect the bodies of their families got into a heated argument with local police on Monday.

Mr Sanghavi visited the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Gandhinagar and announced that it has so far identified nine victims by matching their DNA samples with the samples of their relatives.

“I can understand the anger of the families who have lost their loved ones. FSL is also working around the clock. Entire FSL staff have cancelled their holidays and other travel plans so that all the samples are analysed as early as possible. I have reviewed the progress and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is also taking updates every hour,” Mr Sanghavi told reporters.

Since it was impossible to collect blood samples from the charred bodies, forensic experts have collected bone samples to match the DNA of the victims and their relatives, said Mr Sanghavi.

“It would have taken nearly four hours if samples were brought to Gandhinagar by road. To expedite the DNA matching process, the CM ordered the deployment of an air ambulance” he said.

The minister said the process of matching DNA started at FSL early on Sunday morning and a team of 18 forensic experts has been working round to clock since then so that the bodies can be handed over to their relatives after identification.

“This process is lengthy and it involves nine steps. Blood samples of relatives are matched with blood or bone samples of the victims for matching DNA. Usually, each sample analysis would take nearly 48 hours.

Till now, nine dead bodies have been identified. Eight samples are currently under analysis. We will inform the relatives as soon as reports arrive,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Gandhinagar:

The Gujarat High Court on Monday lamented the heart-breaking death of 28 people, including nine children, after a fire ripped through a gaming zone in Rajkot that lacked the required permits.

The gaming zone – backed by six partners, of whom only two have been arrested so far, was set up in 2021, but did not apply for a fire safety certificate till this year, the court was told.

“This incident is an eye-opener. System’s eyes have opened after the death of innocent children. Such a game zone cannot be run at the cost of small children being killed,” the court said, directing the ruling BJP to file, as an affidavit, the report to be submitted a special investigative team.

The team – set up immediately after the blaze – had been given 72 hours to file a report (the provisional deadline, therefore, is Wednesday), but an interim document expected today.

“How can a game zone run without permission under the nose of the (city) corporation… of the local police station?” it asked, “When will families stop losing loved ones due to man-made tragedies? This needs to be answered…” The court directed all concerned civic bodies and fire departments to take necessary steps to ensure rules are followed for all structures, temporary or otherwise.

“Innocent people of the state should not die in fires like this,” the court also said, adding, “Such incidents like this are happening due to violation of fire safety rules.”

For the Rajkot incident, the court has demanded the municipal body chief and the concerned civic officers inform it of steps taken since 2021 to ensure city buildings are up to code; city officials and the state received a sharp reprimand earlier today after admitting that gaming zones in Rajkot and Ahmedabad did not have certain permits, including a critical NOC from the Fire Department.

“We can file contempt of court (charges)… but it is not necessary at this stage,” a furious court warned the heads of the Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot municipal body chiefs.

The Chief Fire Officer of each city has also been hauled up; s/he has been told to submit an affidavit that details fire safety exits and equipment available at gaming zones in their jurisdiction.

They have also been told to submit reports for future planning. “The concerned corporation officials, including the commissioner, have to be fixed,” the court stressed.

READ | “Now Don’t Trust Gujarat Government”: Court On Rajkot Fire Lapses

Earlier today the Gujarat High Court said it could no longer “trust” the state government, which is controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP. This was after the Rajkot municipal body told the court its approval – for building and running the game zone – had not been taken.

“This has been going on for two-and-a-half years (referring to the Rajkot gaming zone). Are we to assume you turned a blind eye? What do you and your followers do?” the court thundered.

The hearing then went from bad to worse for the Rajkot municipal body after photographs showed officials at the gaming zone. “Who were these officers? Did they go there to play?” the court asked.

The court also ripped into the state government.

READ | Welding Sparks May Have Caused Fire At Gujarat Gaming Zone

“Have you gone blind? Did you fall asleep? Now we do not trust the local system and the state,” the court raged when told fire safety certification hearings have been unresolved for four years.

Newly-Wed Couple Killed

Among those who died in the Rajkot game zone fire were a newly-wed couple – Akshay Dholaria and his wife Khyati, as well as his sister-in-law, Harita, to unwind after the wedding festivities.

READ | Newly-Wed Couple, Bride’s Sister Killed In Rajkot Gaming Zone Fire

Akshay, 24, who lived with his parents in Canada, came to Rajkot to marry Khyati, 20. They had a court marriage last Saturday – a week before the tragedy.

READ | “Jumped From 1st Floor”: Survivor Recounts Escape From Fire

Those killed included five of the Jadeja family. including children between 10 and 15 years old.

Three Arrested, Six Suspended

Apart from the arrests six officials, including two cops and three civic body officials – have been suspended for “gross negligence”. Also, a police case – with charges of culpable homicide – has been filed against the six partners who owned the gaming zone.

READ | Bodies Burnt Beyond Recognition In Rajkot Fire, DNA Samples Taken

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has announced aid of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 each to the injured. Mr Modi has said he is “extremely distressed” by the tragedy.

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New Delhi/Ahmedabad:

A newly married couple was among the 27 people killed in a massive fire at a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot on Saturday evening.

Akshay Dholaria, his wife Khyati and sister-in-law Harita were celebrating the couple’s wedding at the gaming zone, called TRP, when a huge fire swept through the facility.

Akshay, 24, who lived with his parents in Canada, had come to Rajkot to marry 20-year-old Khyati. They had a court marriage last Saturday – a week before the tragedy occurred.

A grand wedding ceremony was scheduled later this year.

Their bodies were burnt beyond recognition. While Akshay’s body was identified with the help of the ring he was wearing, the bodies of Khyati and Harita have been sent for DNA testing.

The gaming zone, called TRP, was packed with visitors due to a weekend discount offer with tickets priced at just Rs 99. It is suspected that the fire might have started due to a short circuit, but officials said that the exact cause will be known only after a probe.

Officials said that the amusement centre was operating without a no-objection certificate (NOC) for fire clearance and also had just one exit.

The owner and manager of the TRP game zone have been detained for questioning.

According to fire officials, the reason behind the massive blaze has not been ascertained yet.

Twenty-eight people, including nine children, have died in the massive fire that broke out at a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot on Saturday. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the incident site at Nana-Mava road on Sunday morning and a hospital where the injured are being treated.

Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vinayak Patel said that DNA samples have been collected to identify the bodies of the victims.

“The bodies are charred beyond recognition, and we have completed the process of collecting the DNA samples of the bodies and the relatives who have claimed them so that the identity of the deceased can be established,” he said, adding that the three people injured in the incident are now in a stable condition.

Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is probing the fire tragedy has been asked to submit the report at the earliest.

Mr Sanghvi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought information about the incident from the Chief Minister and directed strong action against the culprits.

Rajkot:

DNA samples have been collected to identify those who died yesterday in the massive fire at a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot, said a top police officer. At least 28 people, including nine children, died in the fire at the gaming zone, which did not have a fire license.

“The bodies are charred beyond recognition, and we have completed the process of collecting the DNA samples of the bodies and the relatives who have claimed them so that the identity of the deceased can be established,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vinayak Patel. The samples have been airlifted to Jamnagar for analysis.

Three others injured in the fire are now stable, he added.

Read | No Fire License, One Exit: Major Safety Violations At Rajkot Game Zone

The gaming zone’s owner and manager have been arrested, officials said. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the incident site at Nana-Mava Road this morning and the hospital where the injured were admitted.

The exact cause of the fire is not yet known. A five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government has been asked to submit a report within 72 hours.

Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi reached Rajkot last night and held an early morning meeting with the SIT members, headed by Additional Director General of Police Subhash Trivedi.

Mr Sanghvi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought information about the incident from the Chief Minister and directed strong action against the culprits.

Read | 9 Children Among 28 Dead In Fire At Gujarat Gaming Zone, SIT Probe Ordered

Before the meeting, ADGP Trivedi said the inquiry will begin immediately to find out those responsible for it. “We will go through all the aspects of the incident and investigate them thoroughly…We will work with commitment and complete honesty and integrity to provide justice to the children who have lost their lives,” he added.

The SIT also comprises Commissioner, Technical Education, BN Pani; Director, Forensic Science Laboratory, Gandhinagar, HP Sanghvi; Chief Fire Officer, Ahmedabad, JN Khadia; and Superintending Engineer, Roads and Buildings Department, MB Desai.