Newly-Married Couple, Bride's Sister Killed In Rajkot Gaming Zone Fire

A newly married couple was among the 28 people killed in a massive fire at a gaming zone in Gujarat's Rajkot on Saturday evening.

Akshay Dholaria, his wife Khyati and sister-in-law Harita went to the gaming zone, called TRP, to unwind after the wedding festivities when a huge fire swept through the facility.

Akshay, 24, who lived with his parents in Canada, had come to Rajkot to marry 20-year-old Khyati. They had a court marriage last Saturday - a week before the tragedy occurred.

A grand wedding ceremony was scheduled later this year.

Their bodies were burnt beyond recognition. While Akshay's body was identified with the help of the ring he was wearing, the bodies of Khyati and Harita have been sent for DNA testing.

The gaming zone, called TRP, was packed with visitors due to a weekend discount offer with tickets priced at just Rs 99. 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.

Officials said that the amusement centre was operating without a no-objection certificate (NOC) for fire clearance and also had just one exit.

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

According to fire officials, the reason behind the massive blaze has not been ascertained yet.

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.

Mr Sanghvi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought information about the incident from the Chief Minister and directed strong action against the culprits.

(With inputs from Mahendra Prasad)