Rajkot Fire: Gujarat HC Takes Suo Motu Cognisance Of 'Man-Made Disaster', Hearing Tomorrow

The Rajkot game zone fire tragedy matter is scheduled to be heard in the Gujarat High Court on Monday after the court took suo motu cognisance of it.

The fire gutted the gaming zone in Gujarat's Rajkot city.

Source : PTI

Gujarat High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the fire tragedy that hit TRP Game Zone in Rajkot city, killing at least 27 people including four children under the age of 12. The matter is scheduled to be heard on Monday, when the court is likely to issue a directive on the game zone of the state.

The bench of Justices Biren Vaishnav and Devan Desai called it a "man-made disaster" and observed that such gaming zones and recreational facilities have come up without the necessary approvals from competent authorities, as per a PTI report. 

Advocates from the Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot municipal corporations have been asked to appear before the bench on Monday with instructions as to under what provisions of law the authorities led these units to be set up or continue to operate under their jurisdiction.

The massive fire, the cause of which is yet to be ascertained, broke out at the TRP Game Zone on Saturday night when people were enjoying a summer vacation outing there.    

On Sunday, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi reached Rajkot and took stock of the situation. They also the injured people in hospital. 

'Bodies Charred Beyond Recognition'

A Special Investigation Team has been formed by the Gujarat government to probe the incident. The members of the SIT held a meeting with local administration in the wee hours of Sunday. 

They said that the bodies have been charred beyond recognition and the DNA samples of the bodies and the victim's relatives have been collected for identification of the deceased, reported PTI. 

According to officials, the owner and the manager of the arcade have been arrested and the SIT has been directed to submit its report within 72 hours. 

"The bodies are charred beyond recognition, and we have completed the process of collecting the DNA samples of the bodies and the relatives who have claimed them so that the identity of the deceased can be established. The death toll is not likely to rise any further," said Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vinayak Patel. 

President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the loss of lives in the incident.