Rajkot fire: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel along with Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi inspected the Rajkot TRP gaming zone today (May 26) where a massive fire claimed the lives of 27 people, including children.
Visuals from the spot showed CM and the Home Minister taking stock of the area along with their team. Security personnel have also been deployed at the Civil Hospital in Rajkot where those who were injured in yesterday's fire incident have been admitted.
Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi took stock of the area where the massive fire broke out inside a gaming zone and said that one person is still missing after the tragic incident.
Gujarat HC takes suo motu cognizance of fire incident in RajkotThe Gujarat High Court has taken suo motu cognizance of the fire incident at TRP Game Zone in Rajkot. The issue will be heard in the Gujarat High Court tomorrow (May 27). The High Court may issue a directive on the game zone of the state tomorrow.
One person still missing
"As per the information we have, one person is still missing and it is our responsibility to look for the person. We are deploying maximum teams for that," Sanghvi told media.
Sanghvi also informed that all officials have been instructed to be present at the Collector's office by 3 am and he will also be sitting in the Collector's office.
"A very sad incident took place at Rajkot, many family members lost their loved ones and many children have also died in the incident. SIT has been instructed to start the investigation by 3 am and all officials of those depts under which the responsibility of game zone construction lies, have been instructed to be present at the Collector's office by 3 am today. All types of investigations will begin today itself and soon action will be taken to serve justice. After doing the inspection here I will be sitting in Collector's office," Harsh Sanghvi had said.
Meanwhile, two people, including the owner and manager of the TRP game zone in Rajkot, have been taken to a police station for interrogation.
SIT holds meeting, DNA samples collected for victims' identification
Members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) held a meeting with local administration in Gujarat's Rajkot city in the wee hours of Sunday in connection with the fire at a game zone fire here that left 27 persons dead and three injured.
The bodies were charred beyond recognition. The DNA samples of the bodies and the victim's relatives have been collected for identification of the deceased, they said. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the incident site at Nana-Mava road on Sunday morning and a hospital where the injured persons were admitted.
The owner and manager of the game zone have been arrested, officials said. Four children under the age of 12 were among the 27 persons killed in the massive fire that swept through a game zone teeming with people enjoying a summer vacation outing on Saturday (May 25) evening, as per the officials.
The five-member SIT formed by the state government, to conduct a probe into the incident and submit a report within 72 hours, reached Rajkot late Saturday night and held a meeting with the local administration.
Minister of State (MoS) for Home Harsh Sanghavi also reached Rajkot late Saturday night and attended the meeting.
"The prime minister has sought the information of the incident from the chief minister and has expressed grief. The PM has directed that strong action be taken against the culprits," he said.
DGP, ACP on Rajkot gaming zone fire
Additional Director General of Police Subhash Trivedi, who heads the SIT, told media on Saturday night before the meeting that the incident was unfortunate and sad. He said the inquiry will begin immediately to find out those responsible for it and ensure no such incident is repeated in the future.
"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," Trivedi said.
Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vinayak Patel said 27 bodies were recovered from the incident site and taken to the city civil hospital. Three persons were injured in the incident and their health condition was stable, he said.
"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. The death toll is not likely to rise any further," he said.
The SIT, headed by ADGP Trivedi, includes 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.
Politicos express grief
The exact cause of the massive fire is not yet known. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed grief over the incident.
PM Modi spoke to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Saturday to enquire about the rescue and relief efforts. The CM has announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to each injured.
After the fire broke out, Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava told media persons that the cause of the blaze would be investigated and a message had been issued to all the gaming zones in the city to close operations.
In the wake of the fire tragedy, the state director general of police has issued instructions to the commissioners of police and superintendents of police to inspect all the game zones in Gujarat and close those running without fire safety permission.
The DGP has directed the police to carry out this procedure in coordination with fire officers of the municipalities and municipalities.
