Rajkot: The horrific burning down of a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot has shocked the entire country, with 28 innocent lives lost on Saturday. To show their sorrow over the killings, Rajkot city associations have announced a half-day shutdown (Rajkot Bandh) on Monday. According to reports, 25 bodies have been identified thus far.
Gujarat High Court has called this a “man made disaster” taking suo motu cognisance. Meanwhile, the Police have lodged a FIR against six persons and two have been arrested.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi on May 26 took stock of the situation at TRP game zone in Rajkot. Members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) held a meeting with local administration in Gujarat’s Rajkot city.
A major fire broke out in the TRP gaming zone about 6:00 p.m., when the facility was at full capacity and gearing up for the weekend. The fire spread quickly because the gaming area was purportedly made of rubber, plastic, and fiber. The crisis spiraled out of hand, killing 28 people, including 12 children trapped inside the establishment. Officials reported that 27 DNA samples had been provided. Because blood samples couldn’t be obtained from some bodies, bone marrow samples were taken instead.
Two days after the incident, CCTV footage surfaced, indicating that the flames may have started as a result of sparks generated during a welding activity near the establishment.
“According to the early inquiry, there was some fabrication going on. There were various flammable materials, and the fire could have begun as a result of welding,” Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava revealed.
According to sources, all gaming facilities in the city are temporarily closed. Following the deaths of 28 people, city officials inspected all 19 gaming zones that are now active in Rajkot. They detected flaws in 15 zones, resulting in their temporary closure. The remaining four had already been closed by the government previous to these examinations. Following a recent government circular, negotiations have begun over the prospective reopening of the remaining gambling zones.
Six people, including the owner and manager, have been charged by Gujarat police with culpable homicide that is not considered murder.
At a press conference on Sunday, Bhargava stated,A case under IPC sections 304 (for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (for attempt to commit culpable homicide), 337 (for causing hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (for causing grievous hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 114 (for abettor present when the offense is committed) has been registered against six people, out of which two are in custody.
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