Goa Nightclub Fire: Nightclub’s Manager, 3 Staff Members Arrested, Says CM Pramod Sawant

India

-Gaurav Sharma

A
fire
at
the
‘Birch
by
Romeo
Lane’
nightclub
in
Arpora
village,
North
Goa,
has
left
25
people
dead,
with
police
now
arresting
the
chief
general
manager
and
three
other
staff
members.
Goa
chief
minister
Pramod
Sawant
confirmed
the
arrests
and
said
strong
legal
action
is
underway.

The
blaze,
which
broke
out
just
after
midnight
on
Sunday
following
a
cylinder
blast,
tore
through
the
popular
party
spot
in
North
Goa
district.
According
to
officials,
the
dead
include
tourists
and
employees
who
were
inside
the
nightclub
when
the
fire
started.

Goa
nightclub
fire:
Arrests,
FIR
and
key
accused

Police
registered
an
FIR
against
two
owners
of
the
Goa
nightclub
earlier
in
the
day,
naming
Saurabh
Luthra
and
Gaurav
Luthra,
along
with
the
club
manager
and
the
event
organisers.
This
FIR
is
the
basis
for
the
arrests
of
the
chief
general
manager
and
the
other
three
staff
members.

The
Goa
nightclub
fire
case
also
led
to
action
against
local
authorities.
The
panchayat
sarpanch
of
Arpora-Nagoa,
Roshan
Redkar,
was
detained
for
allegedly
issuing
a
trade
licence
for
the
premises
in
2013.
Investigators
are
examining
whether
the
licence
process
and
later
checks
followed
proper
rules.

Goa
nightclub
fire:
Death
toll
and
victim
details

Officials
said
that
among
the
25
people
who
died
in
the
Goa
nightclub
fire,
four
were
tourists
and
14
were
staff
members.
The
remaining
seven
bodies
have
not
yet
been
identified.
Authorities
are
working
to
match
the
unidentified
victims
with
missing
complaints
filed
by
families.

Goa
nightclub
fire:
Inquiry
committee
and
CM’s
directions

The
state
government
has
set
up
a
committee
to
look
into
the
Goa
nightclub
fire
and
identify
lapses.
The
panel
has
been
asked
to
submit
its
report
within
a
week,
focusing
on
safety
measures,
licensing
issues
and
any
failure
by
responsible
agencies.

“I
have
convened
an
urgent
and
high-level
meeting
today
with
my
concerned
officers
including
Chief
Secretary,
DGP,
IGP,
Secretary,
Revenue
Collector,
North
SP,
I
have
discussed
regarding
the
cause
of
the
incident
and
after
having
the
detailed
discussions,
I
have
taken
the
decision
to
conduct
the
Magistral
Inquiry
through
the
committee
comprising
of
the
District
Magistrate,
SP
South,
Deputy
Director
of
Fire
and
Emergency
Services,
Director
Forensics
regarding
the
procedural
lapses
that
resulted
in
the
mischief,” Goa
CM
Sawant
said
in
a
press
briefing.

Pramod
Sawant
added
that
the
DGP
has
been
told
to
take
strict
punitive
steps
against
all
culprits,
including
the
nightclub
owner
and
manager.
With
arrests
made,
an
FIR
in
place
and
a
formal
inquiry
underway,
the
Goa
nightclub
fire
is
set
to
remain
under
close
scrutiny
until
responsibility
is
fully
fixed.