NE NEWS SERVICE
RAJKOT, MAY 27
Two days after 27 persons, including children, were killed in a massive fire at the TRP Game Zone in Rajkot, CCTV camera footage has emerged showing how the blaze started while a spark from welding. The 40-second video posted by PTI reveals that the welding spark triggered the massive fire.
Rajkot police have arrested the gaming zone’s owner – Yuvraj Singh Solanki, and his manager – Nitin Jain, under various charges, including culpable homicide.
In the video posted by PTI, a massive fire can be seen burning as highly inflammable materials were kept around it. As the fire began, several people could be seen trying to take the inflammable materials away from the blaze.
Fuel, tyres, fibreglass shades, and thermocol sheet partitions—some of which were for go-carting at the gaming zone—were reportedly kept at the site, which led to an extremely combustible environment.
According to the police, the gaming zone did not have the required fire safety clearance from the city’s municipal corporation at the time of the incident. While the gaming zone owners had submitted bills to the police for fire safety equipment and claimed to have installed such equipment on the premises, the process for obtaining the necessary Fire NOC (No Objection Certificate) was underway but had not been completed, Rajkot commissioner of police (CP) Raju Bhargav said.
An FIR has also been registered against four other accused under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 114 (abettor present when offense is committed) of the IPC. he hunt to nab the four other accused is ongoing, the police said.
Meanwhile, the process of identification of the victims is underway. According to reports, 25 out of the 27 victims have been identified. Out of the total victims, at least four are children under the age of 12. However, only two children have been identified so far.
SIT to submit report within 3 days
Following the incident, the state government formed a five-member SIT to probe it. The team consists of the commissioner of technical education, BN Pani; the director of the forensic science laboratory in Gandhinagar, HP Sanghvi; the chief fire officer in Ahmedabad, JN Khadia; and the superintending engineer of the roads and buildings department, MB Desai. The team is headed by the additional director general of police, Subhash Trivedi.
On Sunday, the five-member team was asked to submit the preliminary report of the incident within three days during a meeting with the local administration in Rajkot.
