BREAKING | Rajkot Fire Tragedy: Crime Branch Arrests Several Government Officials

Rajkot: In latest development in the Rajkot fire tragedy that claimed the lives of at least 27 people including children, the crime branch on Thursday arrested several government officials including town planners and fire station officer.

Town planning officer (TPO) Sagathiya, Assistant Town Planning Officers (ATPO)s Mukesh Makwana and Gautam Joshi and fire station officer Rohit Vigor are among those arrested.

The municipal officials were also responsible for the horrific fire tragedy, investigation conducted by the crime branch has revealed.

Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah, meanwhile, is expected hold a meeting in connection with the incident on 31 May with officials, MPs and the mayor at the Rajkot Airport, Republic has learnt.

Earlier during the day, a court in Rajkot sought a report from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the TRP game zone fire on a plea seeking registration of criminal cases against the IPS and IAS officers who were transferred, and others who were suspended after the tragedy.

The 'criminal inquiry plea' sought First Information Reports (FIRs) against the then Rajkot police commissioner Raju Bhargava, municipal commissioner Anand Patel, and two IPS officers who were transferred, and nine officials suspended after the May 25 incident.

Additional judicial magistrate BP Thakar had on Wednesday issued a notice to the SIT, seeking a status report of its ongoing inquiry against all the officials by June 20, news agency PTI quoted lawyer Rajesh Jalu as saying. Jalu was representing petitioner Vinesh Chhaya.

The petition argued that the grounds on which these officials were transferred or suspended were enough to register an FIR.

The petitioner sought an FIR against these officials under Indian Penal Code sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (causing hurt to someone by acting in a way that is rash or negligent and endangers human life or the safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt to someone by an act that endangers their life or personal safety).

"The reason for filing this present complaint has also arisen because 27 persons have died and other persons injured due to their carelessness in duties," the plea said.

The TRP game zone was operating for the last three-four years without any permissions or license, the petition further stated.

Apart from Bhargava, then Rajkot Deputy Commissioner of Police Sudhirkumar Desai and Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vidhi Choudhary as well as then Municipal Commissioner Anand Patel were transferred and kept on waiting for posting two days after the incident.

Among the suspended civic officials are chief fire officer Ilesh Kher, deputy chief fire officer Bhikhabhai Theba, assistant engineer Jaideep Chaudhary, assistant town planner Gautam Joshi, fire station officer Rahit Vigora, deputy executive engineer of roads and buildings department MR Suma, then assistant engineer Paras Kothia, and police inspectors VR Patel and NI Rathod.

In a related development, the court sent Kiritsinh Jadeja, the fifth accused arrested in the fire case, in eight-day police remand. 

(With inputs from PTI)