New Delhi:

Rajkot police chief Raju Bhargava has been transferred days after a horrific fire at a gaming zone in the city killed 28 people, including nine children. He has not been given a new post at this time.

He will be replaced by Brajesh Kumar Jha, the Special Commissioner of Police from Ahmedabad.

Apart from Mr Bhargava, Rajkot City’s Additional Commissioner of Police (Administration, Traffic, and Crime) Vidhi Choudhary, has also been moved out, and has also not yet received a new post. In her place comes Mahendra Bagria, ex-Deputy Inspector General for the Kutchh-Bhuj (West) zone.

Also, Sudhirkumar Desai, who was Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rajkot City, Zone 2) has been dropped for Jagdish Bangwara, formerly the Superintendent of Vadodara’s Central Prison.

Like Mr Bhargava and Ms Choudhary, Mr Desai has also not been given a new post, at this time.

READ | Nine Children Among 28 Dead In Fire At Gujarat Gaming Zone

The changes came hours after the Gujarat High Court ripped into the Rajkot civic body and the state government for not ensuring the game zone (the one that burned, a second in the city, and three in Ahmedabad) received mandatory certifications, including those for fire safety and building codes.

The court was furious when told that the two gaming zones in Rajkot had been operating – for over 24 months each – without the required permits, and said it could no longer “trust” the state government, which is controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

“This has been going on for two-and-a-half years (referring to the Rajkot gaming zone). Are we to assume you turned a blind eye? What do you and your followers do?” the court thundered.

The Rajkot gaming zone, it has emerged, was granted a license by local cops in November last year, which was renewed to December 31, 2024, Mr Bhargava had admitted on Sunday.

READ | “Don’t Trust Gujarat Government”: High Court On Rajkot Fire Lapses

The court also criticised the state government.

“Have you gone blind? Did you fall asleep? Now we do not trust the local system and the state,” the court raged when told fire safety certification hearings have been unresolved for four years.

Told about three establishments in Ahmedabad that do not follow fire safety regulations, and that the rules say a gaming zone is not allowed without a NOC from the city’s fire department, an irate High Court shot back, “Then this rule was not followed in Rajkot…”

READ | “Can’t Run Game Zone At Cost Of Children Being Killed”: Court

The court also lamented the loss of children, telling the Gujarat government, “This incident is an eye-opener. System’s eyes have opened after the death of innocent children.” The court directed the BJP to file, as an affidavit, the report to be submitted, by Wednesday, by a special investigative team.

Rajkot Gaming Zone Fire

On Saturday a massive blaze was reported from the Rajkot gaming zone.

READ | Welding Sparks May Have Caused Fire At Gujarat Gaming Zone

CCTV footage – which NDTV has not verified independently – showed a fire starting during welding work; sparks fell on plastic that caught fire and could not be contained by panic-stricken workers.

The fire may have also been the result of an electrical short circuit, sources said.

However, it started, as the fire spread a temporary structure collapsed near the entrance, trapping a number of people. The facility had only one emergency exit.

There was some fire safety equipment but action taken was insufficient, cops have said.

READ | Bodies Burnt Beyond Recognition In Rajkot Fire, DNA Samples Taken

The blaze burnt so fiercely that many of the bodies recovered could not be identified, forcing authorities to rely on DNA testing to identify the dead.

Three Arrested, Six Suspended

This morning six officials, including two police officers and three civic body officials – were suspended for “gross negligence”. A police case – with charges of culpable homicide – has been filed against the six partners who owned the gaming zone; two of the three partners have been arrested so far.

Overall, three arrests have been made; the third is the manager of the game zone.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has announced aid of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 each to the injured. Mr Modi has said he is “extremely distressed” by the tragedy.

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Gandhinagar:

The Gujarat High Court on Monday lamented the heart-breaking death of 28 people, including nine children, after a fire ripped through a gaming zone in Rajkot that lacked the required permits.

The gaming zone – backed by six partners, of whom only two have been arrested so far, was set up in 2021, but did not apply for a fire safety certificate till this year, the court was told.

“This incident is an eye-opener. System’s eyes have opened after the death of innocent children. Such a game zone cannot be run at the cost of small children being killed,” the court said, directing the ruling BJP to file, as an affidavit, the report to be submitted a special investigative team.

The team – set up immediately after the blaze – had been given 72 hours to file a report (the provisional deadline, therefore, is Wednesday), but an interim document expected today.

“How can a game zone run without permission under the nose of the (city) corporation… of the local police station?” it asked, “When will families stop losing loved ones due to man-made tragedies? This needs to be answered…” The court directed all concerned civic bodies and fire departments to take necessary steps to ensure rules are followed for all structures, temporary or otherwise.

“Innocent people of the state should not die in fires like this,” the court also said, adding, “Such incidents like this are happening due to violation of fire safety rules.”

For the Rajkot incident, the court has demanded the municipal body chief and the concerned civic officers inform it of steps taken since 2021 to ensure city buildings are up to code; city officials and the state received a sharp reprimand earlier today after admitting that gaming zones in Rajkot and Ahmedabad did not have certain permits, including a critical NOC from the Fire Department.

“We can file contempt of court (charges)… but it is not necessary at this stage,” a furious court warned the heads of the Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot municipal body chiefs.

The Chief Fire Officer of each city has also been hauled up; s/he has been told to submit an affidavit that details fire safety exits and equipment available at gaming zones in their jurisdiction.

They have also been told to submit reports for future planning. “The concerned corporation officials, including the commissioner, have to be fixed,” the court stressed.

READ | “Now Don’t Trust Gujarat Government”: Court On Rajkot Fire Lapses

Earlier today the Gujarat High Court said it could no longer “trust” the state government, which is controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP. This was after the Rajkot municipal body told the court its approval – for building and running the game zone – had not been taken.

“This has been going on for two-and-a-half years (referring to the Rajkot gaming zone). Are we to assume you turned a blind eye? What do you and your followers do?” the court thundered.

The hearing then went from bad to worse for the Rajkot municipal body after photographs showed officials at the gaming zone. “Who were these officers? Did they go there to play?” the court asked.

The court also ripped into the state government.

READ | Welding Sparks May Have Caused Fire At Gujarat Gaming Zone

“Have you gone blind? Did you fall asleep? Now we do not trust the local system and the state,” the court raged when told fire safety certification hearings have been unresolved for four years.

Newly-Wed Couple Killed

Among those who died in the Rajkot game zone fire were a newly-wed couple – Akshay Dholaria and his wife Khyati, as well as his sister-in-law, Harita, to unwind after the wedding festivities.

READ | Newly-Wed Couple, Bride’s Sister Killed In Rajkot Gaming Zone Fire

Akshay, 24, who lived with his parents in Canada, came to Rajkot to marry Khyati, 20. They had a court marriage last Saturday – a week before the tragedy.

READ | “Jumped From 1st Floor”: Survivor Recounts Escape From Fire

Those killed included five of the Jadeja family. including children between 10 and 15 years old.

Three Arrested, Six Suspended

Apart from the arrests six officials, including two cops and three civic body officials – have been suspended for “gross negligence”. Also, a police case – with charges of culpable homicide – has been filed against the six partners who owned the gaming zone.

READ | Bodies Burnt Beyond Recognition In Rajkot Fire, DNA Samples Taken

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has announced aid of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 each to the injured. Mr Modi has said he is “extremely distressed” by the tragedy.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

Gandhinagar:

Two days after a video gaming zone in Rajkot burst into flames and killed 28 people, including nine children, and left their bodies burnt beyond recognition, the city’s municipal body came under fire from the Gujarat High Court for failing to certify at least two such structures in the city.

The court was furious when told two gaming zones had been operating – for over 24 months each – without the required permits, including fire safety certificates, and said it could no longer “trust” the state government, which is controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

This was after the Rajkot municipal body said, in court, that “our approval was not taken…”

“This has been going on for two-and-a-half years (referring to the Rajkot gaming zone). Are we to assume you turned a blind eye? What do you and your followers do?” the court thundered.

The Rajkot gaming zone, it has emerged, was granted a license by local cops in November last year, which was renewed to December 31, 2024, Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava said.

The hearing then went from bad to worse for the Rajkot municipal body after photographs showed officials at the gaming zone. “Who were these officers? Did they go there to play?” the court asked.

The court also ripped into the state government.

“Have you gone blind? Did you fall asleep? Now we do not trust the local system and the state,” the court raged when told fire safety certification hearings have been unresolved for four years.

Advocate Manisha Luv Kumar Shah, appearing for the state government, also acknowledged that two other gaming zones – in Ahmedabad – did not have permission to operate, and said a special team had been formed to investigate all such issues and file a report within 72 hours.

This includes mini-gaming zones inside malls, the court was told, for a total of 34 in the city, of which three do not have a no-objection certificate – a mandatory requirement – from the fire department.

The state said a gaming zone cannot open sans such a certificate, to which the High Court – appearing increasingly irritated – shot back, “Then this rule was not followed in Rajkot.”

In an attempt to reassure the court of action being taken, the state said three owners had been arrested and the process of taking the rest into custody is “ongoing”.

Meanwhile, the court also pointed to “many incidents” in the past and said, “…we have given many decisions and instructions in the past four years. Even after that six incidents took place in the state.”

Among the major fire-related incidents in Gujarat since 2023 were a blaze at a chemical factory in Surat in November that killed seven people and injured a dozen more.

A few days earlier a fire at a city multiplex destroyed property and injured two employees.

In July there was a fire at an Ahmedabad hospital that forced the evacuation of 125 patients. There was also a massive blaze in firecracker shops in an industrial area of the city in May

In March a fire at a hospital in Surat killed an infant.

“People are dying due to (state) machinery (not working)…” the irate court observed.

Rajkot Gaming Zone Fire

On Saturday a massive blaze was reported from the Rajkot gaming zone.

READ | Welding Sparks May Have Caused Fire At Gujarat Gaming Zone

CCTV footage – which NDTV has not verified independently – showed a fire starting during welding work; sparks fell on plastic that caught fire and could not be contained by panic-stricken workers.

The fire may have also been the result of an electrical short circuit, sources said.

READ | Nine Children Among 28 Dead In Fire At Gujarat Gaming Zone

However, it started, as the fire spread a temporary structure collapsed near the entrance, trapping a number of people. The facility had only one emergency exit.

There was some fire safety equipment but action taken was insufficient, cops have said.

READ | Bodies Burnt Beyond Recognition In Rajkot Fire, DNA Samples Taken

The blaze burnt so fiercely that many of the bodies recovered could not be identified, forcing authorities to rely on DNA testing to identify the dead.

Newly-Wed Couple Killed

Among those who died in the Rajkot game zone fire were a newly-wed couple – Akshay Dholaria and his wife Khyati, as well as his sister-in-law, Harita, to unwind after the wedding festivities.

READ | Newly-Wed Couple, Bride’s Sister Killed In Rajkot Gaming Zone Fire

Akshay, 24, who lived with his parents in Canada, came to Rajkot to marry Khyati, 20. They had a court marriage last Saturday – a week before the tragedy.

READ | “Jumped From 1st Floor”: Survivor Recounts Escape From Fire

Those killed included five of the Jadeja family. including children between 10 and 15 years old.

Officials Suspended

This morning six officials, including two police officers and three civic body officials – were suspended for “gross negligence”. A police case – with charges of culpable homicide – has been filed against the six partners who owned the gaming zone, and two people have been arrested, the cops said.

READ | FIR Against 6 Partners Of Rajkot Game Zone After Fire, 2 Arrested

One of the arrested is Yuvrajsinh Solanki, one of the partners, and the facility’s manager, Nitin Jain.

The state has formed a five-member team – to be led by Additional Director General of Police Subhash Trivedi – to investigate the incident, and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.

Prime Minister Modi said he was “extremely distressed” by the tragedy.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.