The Gujarat government has transferred six Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, including the Rajkot Police Commissioner, days after the deadly fire at a gaming zone in the city killed 27 people.
Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava has been replaced by IPS officer Brijesh Kumar Jha. Vidhi Choudhary, Additional Commissioner of Police (Administration, Traffic and Crime) Rajkot City and Sudhirkumar J Desai, DCP-Zone 2, Rajkot have also been transferred, a government notification stated.
Earlier in the day, Gujarat government suspended seven officials, including two police inspectors, two executive engineers, one assistant engineer, one town planner, and a fire station officer, for alleged dereliction of duty. The move came after an investigation found "gross negligence" in allowing the game zone to operate without necessary approvals.
A massive fire broke out at the indoor game zone in Rajkot city on Saturday, killing 27 people, including children, and injuring nine others. The fire is believed to have been caused by a welding operation at the game zone, which spread quickly due to the presence of inflammable materials.
Gujarat Game Zone Fire | Top Points
CCTV Visuals Suggest How Fire Started: CCTV footage doing the rounds on social media claiming to be of the moments when the fire started at the gaming zone in Gujarat suggested that the blaze started due to welding work. CCTV footage showed some of the sparks during welding work falling on a pile of plastic that lay nearby and it catching fire shortly after, which the workers could be seen trying to contain but failed to.
Gaming Zone Had No NOC, Owner Held: An owner partner of the Rajkot-based TRP game zone and its manager were arrested on the charge of culpable homicide after the blaze killed 27 persons including children, while it emerged the facility was operated without fire NOC. The game zone had fire safety equipment but action taken to control the fire was not sufficient, leading to the tragedy on Saturday, a senior police officer said on Sunday, a day after the tragedy.
Gujarat HC Slams State Govt: The Gujarat High Court, which on Sunday took suo motu cognisance of the fire tragedy, slammed the state government for inaction over the gaming centre being built on unauthorised premises. "Have you gone blind? Did you fall asleep? Now we do not trust the local system and the state government," the court reportedly said on Monday after it was told the gaming centre in Rajkot had been built on unauthorised premises and that a hearing regarding fire safety had been on for four years.
Fire NOC Was Pending: The local police in November 2023 granted a booking licence to the gaming zone, which was renewed for the period from January 1 to December 31, 2024, Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava told reporters, adding that the game zone had received permissions from the roads and buildings department. "It had also submitted a proof of fire safety equipment to obtain the fire NOC which was under process and not yet completed," he said. The game zone had fire safety equipment but action taken to control the blaze was not sufficient, leading to the tragedy on Saturday, he said.
