Gujarat game zone fire: Four officials remanded in police custody till June 12

Rajkot: A court in Rajkot in Gujarat on Friday remanded in police custody till June 12 four officials who were arrested in connection with the May 25 game zone fire that killed 27 persons.

Rajkot town planning officer (TPO) M D Sagathia, assistant TPOs Mukesh Makwana and Gautam Joshi, and former station officer of Kalavad Road fire station Rohit Vigora, who were held on Thursday, were produced in the court of Judicial First Class Magistrate B P Thakar.

While seeking their remand, public prosecutor Tushar Gokani informed the court that Section 36 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with effect caused partly by act and partly by omission, has been invoked against the accused and subsequently added in the main FIR.

Gokani told the court Sagathia knew since 2023 that the game zone was illegal and that it must be demolished as per law but took no action.

The custody of Sagathia along with that of his two junior officers was required to elicit more information about the reasons which led to the tragedy, Gokani told court.

Gokani said a welding spark had caused the fire at the game zone which killed 27 persons. Upon learning about the blaze, Vigora and his team of fire fighters had reached the spot.

He drew the court’s attention to the fact that a small fire incident was recorded at the same game zone in September 2023 due to welding work and at that time too, it was Vigora, as the fire station officer, who had reached the spot and doused the fire.

Though Vigora knew that the game zone had been running without a no objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department, he did not take any action and, thereby, indulged in illegal omission, the public prosecutor said.

Nine persons, including four owners and a manager of the ill-fated TRP Game Zone, have been arrested, while nine officials have been suspended for alleged “gross negligence in allowing the game zone to operate without necessary approvals.”