Rajkot gaming zone fire: Rajkot fire toll rises to 28, no victims identified so far, 2 accused arrested | Rajkot News

RAJKOT: Gujarat police filed an FIR against seven partners of TRP Game Zone in Rajkot for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and arrested two of them on Sunday, following a devastating fire incident that broke out spread quickly and claimed the lives of 28 people at the recreational facility filled with a large weekend crowd the previous evening.

The fire left the bodies charred beyond recognition. According to the FIR, the 28 bodies found included 15 men, six women and three children. The gender of three bodies could not be determined due to severe burns, while only partial remains of one person were found.

Forensic experts are now tasked with tackling the challenge of identifying victims through DNA analysis, a process that could take up to seven days. This step is crucial to allow grieving families to turn the page. A forensic team has arrived in Rajkot to collect samples from the site.

Gujarat govt forms 5-member SIT to probe Rajkot gaming zone fire
This is one of the biggest disaster victim identification (DVI) cases in the country in recent years, a senior official of the Directorate of Forensic Sciences said, comparing it to the accident Balasore railway crash last year which claimed more than 200 lives.

In response to the tragedy, a special bench of the Gujarat High Court met on Sunday, taking suo motu cognizance of the deaths and terming the fire a “man-made disaster”. Meanwhile, a team from the National Disaster Response Force began clearing debris from the site.

The FIR revealed that the structure of the entertainment facility, which was the height of a three-storey building, did not have sufficient fire safety equipment. The installation also operated without the necessary fire no-objection certificate. The operators had never applied for this certificate, knowingly putting lives at risk, according to the FIR. The police had arrested Yuvrajsinh Solanki, 30, associate of Raceway Enterprise, and Nitin Lodha, 45, manager of the establishment and another associate. Besides, caution notices have been issued to the remaining accused: Dhaval Thakkar, Ashoksinh Jadeja, Kiritsinh Jadeja, Prakashchandra Hiran and Rahul Rathod.

The accused face charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempt to commit culpable homicide, causing hurt by acts causing endanger life or personal safety and cause serious injury by acts endangering life or personal safety. .

Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava said the local police had granted a reservation license for the gaming zone in November 2023, which was renewed for 2024. The facility, operational since 2021, had obtained licenses under different names over the years.

(With input from Parth Shastri in Ahmedabad)