Big Action After Rajkot Game Zone Fire, Cops, Civic Officers Suspended

Five officials have been suspended over "gross negligence" after a massive fire at a gaming zone in Gujarat claimed the lives of 28 people in, officials have said.

The officials - two police inspectors and three civic officials - have been suspended "for their gross negligence in allowing this game zone to operate without necessary approvals," they said.

The Saturday evening tragedy revealed serious lapses at the gaming zone, called TRP in Gujarat's Rajkot. The amusement centre was operating without a no-objection certificate (NOC) for fire clearance and also had just one exit, it's learnt.

It is suspected that the fire might have started due to a short circuit, but officials said that the exact cause will be known only after a probe.

The big government action comes a day after Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the site and instructed the officials to take strict action against those responsible for the horrific incident.

Those suspended are Rajkot Municipal Corporation's Town Planning Department Assistant Engineer Jaideep Chaudhary, Assistant Town Planner RMC Gautam Joshi, Rajkot Roads and Buildings Department's Deputy Executive Engineer MR Suma, and police inspectors VR Patel and NI Rathod.

The owner and manager of the TRP game zone have been detained for questioning.

Rajkot Mayor Nayna Pedhadiya had earlier confirmed the absence of a fire NOC. "We will investigate how such a big game zone was functioning without a fire NOC and we are witnessing the consequences of it. No politics will be allowed over this issue," Ms Pedhadiya asserted.

Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is probing the fire tragedy has been asked to submit the report at the earliest.