The Rajkot police have taken four government officials into custody in the case of the devastating fire at the TRP game zone on May 25, which resulted in the loss of 27 lives. Among those arrested are a town planning officer (TPO) identified as MD Sagathia, assistant TPOs Mukesh Makwana and Gautam Joshi, and former station officer of Kalavad Road fire station Rohit Vigora. This brings the total number of individuals detained in connection with the incident to nine, as confirmed by an official statement.
State Director General of Police Vikas Sahay confirmed the arrests, stating, “Four government officials have been arrested.” The move comes amidst an ongoing investigation into the fire tragedy that shook the city and sparked nationwide concern.
Nine officials have also been suspended for their alleged involvement in allowing the game zone to operate without necessary approvals, citing “gross negligence.” Those suspended include Joshi, Vigora, Rajkot’s Chief Fire Officer IV Kher, his deputy BJ Theba, assistant engineer Jaideep Chaudhary from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s town planning department, and Deputy Executive Engineers MR Suma and Paras Kothiya from the Roads and Buildings Department. Additionally, police inspectors VR Patel and NI Rathod have also faced suspension.
The investigation, led by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by senior IPS officer Subhash Trivedi, has been meticulously probing the circumstances surrounding the fire tragedy. Trivedi recently questioned former fire chief Kher for nearly three hours at the state police headquarters in Gandhinagar.
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The scrutiny intensified after Kher disclosed that the game zone was operating without the mandatory fire NOC (No Objection Certificate), as management had never applied for it.
The incident led the Gujarat High Court to criticize the Rajkot civic body on Monday, questioning its vigilance regarding such large structures being erected without requisite permissions. The court expressed skepticism towards the state machinery’s response, emphasizing the need for proactive measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.
The state high court had questioned the authoirities of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation if it had been ignorant towards the setting up of and building of such a huge structure 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 the necessary permissions before it was built.
