Rajkot Fire Accident: In the aftermath of the tragic fire incident claiming 27 lives at a recreation centre in Gujarat's Rajkot, the state administration has transferred Raju Bhargava, the Rajkot Police Commissioner, along with two other IPS officers, Vidhi Choudhary and Sudhirkumar Desai, as announced by the state home department. Additionally, Anand Patel, the Municipal Commissioner and an IAS officer, has also been transferred.
Brajesh Kumar Jha, currently serving as the Special Commissioner of Police in Ahmedabad, has been appointed as the new Police Commissioner of Rajkot, news agency PTI reported. Mahendra Bagria, Deputy Inspector General of Police, will assume the role of additional commissioner, while Jagdish Bangarwa will take over as the new deputy commissioner of police.
An official notification stated that the service of Anand Patel has been placed at the "disposal of the General Administrative Department for further orders". DP Desai, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority, will assume the role of Rajkot's Municipal Commissioner, according to PTI.
The administrative reshuffle comes in the wake of severe criticism from the Gujarat High Court, which expressed doubts over the efficacy of the state machinery, particularly highlighting lapses in the functioning of the TRP Game Zone where the fire occurred. The court raised questions regarding the oversight of such establishments by civic bodies. ALSO READ | 'We Don’t Have Faith In State Machinery': Gujarat HC Lashes At State Govt Over Rajkot Fire
Rajkot Fire Accident: 3 Sent To 14-Day Police Remand. 9 Victims Identified By DNA Testing
Meanwhile, three individuals arrested in connection with the fire incident have been remanded to 14-day police custody by a court in Rajkot. Special Public Prosecutor Tushar Gokani highlighted the lack of cooperation from the accused during the investigation, citing their evasive responses. “The main ground for 14-day remand was that the arrested accused persons are not cooperating with the investigation, they are giving evasive replies to whatever questions are asked and whatever documents are sought from them,” said Gokani, as quoted by PTI.
In a separate development, Gujarat's Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, announced the identification of nine victims through DNA analysis. Sanghavi assured that the forensic science lab is working tirelessly to expedite the identification process, acknowledging the anguish of families awaiting closure.
“I can understand the anger of the families who have lost their loved ones. FSL is also working round the clock. Entire FSL staff have cancelled their holidays and other travel plans so that all the samples are analysed as early as possible,” Sanghavi told reporters, as per PTI.
The identification process, involving DNA matching of bone samples collected from the charred bodies with samples from relatives, is underway. Sanghavi noted that while progress has been made in identifying nine bodies, eight samples are still under analysis.