13 Pandits arrested for Bangalore pub fire

Bangalore: Fourteen people have been arrested in Bangalore for the fire that engulfed NYK's Pub on Residency Road on Monday afternoon. No casualties were reported, but the fire revealed that basic safety regulations had been overlooked by the pub's owner. Fire safety officials said that had the fire taken place at night, the pub could have turned into a gigantic deathtrap. (Read: Another major fire in Bangalore, no casualties)

There were no fire exits at the pub, which also has a wooden dance floor. The pub's owner conducted a large havan with several pandits from Varanasi and Bihar officiating. Thirteen of those pandits have been arrested, along with the pub's owner.

While fire fighters have refused to confirm whether the havan caused the fire, the flames engulfed the dance floor.

The pub is located on the fourth floor of a commercial building, Gold Towers, which also hosts several shops.

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Last month, a gigantic fire at another commercial complex called Carlton Towers left Bangalore shocked. (Read: 9 dead, 59 injured in Carlton Towers blaze) Seven people died in that tragedy at the Old Airport Road.  In that case, as well, fire safety precautions had been ignored.  Fire engines also took very long to arrive at the spot, and when they did, the ladders they had were not long enough to reach those trapped on the top floors of the building. Some people jumped in panic, at least four of them were killed.