Rajkot
Police have filed an FIR against six partners of a game zone in Rajkot, Gujarat, on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder after a fire killed 27 people. Two individuals have been arrested, officials said on Sunday.
Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava stated that the local police granted a license to the gaming zone in November 2023, renewed for 2024. Although the game zone had fire safety equipment, the measures were insufficient, leading to the tragedy.
The fire, which broke out on Saturday at the TRP game zone in Nana Mava, killed 27 people, including four children, and injured three others. The facility was crowded with people enjoying a summer outing.
The FIR alleges that the accused built a large game zone using metal sheets without proper fire-fighting equipment or a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department. Arrested individuals include Yuvrajsinh Solanki, a partner in Raceway Enterprise, and manager Nitin Jain.
The accused face charges under IPC sections 304, 308, 337, 338, and 114. Rajkot Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Parthrajsinh Gohil said four crime branch teams are searching for the remaining suspects. The investigation has been handed over to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Joint Additional Commissioner of Police Vidhi Chaudhary. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced Rs 4 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
