Rajkot Game Zone Fire: Third Partner Arrested. DNA Tests Being Conducted Via Bones, Guj Minister Says

Rajkot Fire Accident: Gujarat police arrested Rahul Rathod, the third partner involved in TRP game zone. The fire resulted in 27 deaths and prompted the suspension of seven officials for negligence.

Rajkot Fire Accident: Following the tragic fire at a game zone in Gujarat's Rajkot, which resulted in the death of 27 people, the police on Monday arrested Rahul Rathod, one of the partners of the ill-fated facility. Rathod is the third person to be apprehended in connection with the incident, according to Rajkot Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime, Parthrajsinh Gohil.

The Rajkot taluka police on Sunday registered an FIR against six partners of the TRP game zone on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The other partners named in the FIR include Dhaval Corporation proprietor Dhaval Thakkar, and Raceway Enterprise partners Ashoksinh Jadeja, Kiritsinh Jadeja, Prakashchand Hiran, and Yuvrajsinh Solanki, news agency PTI reported. Four different teams of the crime branch have been formed to apprehend the remaining absconding accused.

Rajkot Game Zone Fire: Gujarat Govt Suspends 7 Officials, Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi Says DNA Tests Being Conducted Via Bones

In response to the tragedy, the Gujarat government on Monday suspended seven officials for gross negligence that allowed the game zone to operate without the necessary approvals. These officials include Rajkot Municipal Corporation's (RMC) town planning department assistant engineer Jaideep Chaudhary, assistant town planner for RMC Gautam Joshi, Rajkot Roads and Buildings department's deputy executive engineers MR Suma and Paras Kothiya, and police inspectors VR Patel and NI Rathod, PTI reported.

Additionally, Rohit Vigora, the station officer of the RMC's Kalavad Road fire station, was suspended for his gross negligence and irresponsible behaviour. The RMC's suspension order highlighted that despite the game zone operating without a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC) for a considerable time, Vigora failed to take any action.

"Though the recreation facility was operating without any fire NOC for a significant time, Vigora, as a station officer, showed gross negligence and irresponsible behaviour by not taking any action against the game zone, which fell under his jurisdiction," the RMC's suspension order stated, as per PTI.

Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi informed that DNA tests are being conducted on the bodies of the deceased via bone samples due to the lack of available blood samples. "The samples of the family members were taken, and they were brought to Gandhinagar via air ambulance yesterday," he said.

Rajkot Game Zone Fire: Gujarat HC Slams Civic, Says ‘We Don’t Have Faith In State Machinery Now’

The Gujarat High Court on Monday expressed severe dissatisfaction with the Rajkot civic body's handling of the TRP Game Zone fire incident. The court criticised the local authorities for their apparent negligence and lack of prompt action, highlighting systemic failures that allowed the game zone to operate without necessary safety permissions.

A special bench of Justices Biren Vaishnav and Devan Desai questioned whether the civic body had ignored fire safety orders for 18 months, following a public interest litigation (PIL) about the facility. Previously, the court on Sunday took suo motu cognisance of the matter and labelled the incident, which occurred on May 25, as a "man-made disaster."

Today, the bench scrutinised the Rajkot Municipal Corporation's (RMC) inaction, with Justice Vaishnav remarking, "Honestly speaking, we do not have faith in the state machinery now. Four years after orders of this court, this is the sixth incident that has happened. They only want lives to be lost and then trigger the machinery", as quoted by PTI.

The court pointed out that the TRP Game Zone, established in 2021, had been operating for three years without a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC) or any other requisite permissions. It noted that the civic body only demanded a fire NOC from the owners on May 9, 2024, after years of inaction.

According to PTI's report, Justice Desai questioned the RMC's awareness and oversight, asking, "You were blind to that...this big structure existed, you were not aware of it? What is the corporation's explanation that the whole zone existed for the last two-and-a-half years?"

The High Court directed that all commissioners of the Rajkot municipal corporation since the game's inception should be held accountable, requiring them to submit separate affidavits. The court also called for an affidavit from the Rajkot Police Commissioner, criticising the police department for allowing the game zone to operate near a local police station without a fire NOC, the report stated.

Earlier, the state government has formed a special investigation team and announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each deceased. The Union government has also declared an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased person.

A senior police officer revealed on Sunday that the game zone, which lacked a fire NOC, did have fire safety equipment, but the measures taken were insufficient to control the fire, leading to the 27 deaths which included children.