Congress Accuses Goa Govt of 'Planned Murder' After Birch Nightclub Fire Kills 25

Arpora: Congress accused the Goa government of "planned murder" after a horrific fire killed 25 people at Goa's popular Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub on Saturday, turning a weekend night into a nightmare.

State Congress president Amit Patkar said, "I feel this incident is a black day in the tourism history of Goa. 25 innocent people died so we pay condolences to the families of all the deceased. I feel that this is a planned murder of people."

No Fire License

The Amit Patkar added,  What we have been finding out through sources is that a demolition order was issued for this club and these people approached higher authorities, used pressure by ministers to stop the demolition. When a local elected body orders demolition as an illegal structure, I feel it should be the moral right of the administration to not grant any permission there."

He further said, “I have also come to know that they did not have a fire license under fire safety norms.”

'CM Must Resign': Congress

The Congress leader added, “We saw the CM saying on record last night that this is a dangerous situation and people are not following the norms. It means that Goa CM has admitted that his administration has failed. I think there will be an inquiry, all that is fine but who will take responsibility for the 25 people who died? We demand that the CM and all the ministers involved in giving permission resign immediately on moral and political grounds...We also demand that the Governor should immediately request the Govt to dismiss this Govt because this is not the first incident. Rapes and murders are rising in Goa...”

‘Criminal Failure’

Meanwhile, Congress leader and the Leader of Opposition of the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, called for a "thorough and transparent" probe in the matter.

Expressing condolences over the loss of 25 lives in the fire tragedy, the Lok Sabha MP condemned the state government over the matter.

In a post on X, he wrote, “This is not just an accident, it is a criminal failure of safety and governance. A thorough, transparent probe must fix accountability and ensure such preventable tragedies don’t occur again.”

The club was hosting more than 100 people on the dance floor when a massive blaze turned the Bollywood night into a nightmare.

Also Read- Before & After: Pics Show Shocking Destruction of Goa's Birch Nightclub After Deadly Fire