Rajkot tragedy: Owner, manager taken to police station for interrogation

Two people, including the owner and manager of the TRP game zone in Rajkot, have been taken to a police station for interrogation into the fire incident at the gaming facility that left at least 20 people dead.

20 people, including children, were charred to death following the massive fire at the game zone in Rajkot on Saturday. According to officials, the fire broke out at around 4.30 pm.

Rajkot Police Commissioner, Raju Bhargava shared the development on the matter and said, "The police action is underway. The owner and the manager of the TRP game zone have been taken to the police station for interrogation."

Meanwhile, Gujarat Director General of Police has instructed the Commissioners of Police and District Superintendents of Police to inspect all the game zones in the state and to close the game zones running without fire safety permission.

The director general of police has told to carry out this procedure in coordination with the fire officers of the municipalities and municipalities and the local system.

These instructions have been issued in the wake of the Game Zone fire incident in Rajkot city.

Leaders from across the political spectrum condoled the loss of lives in the massive incident at the game zone in Rajkot here today.

In response to the fire incident, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel regarding the accident and offered his condolences to the families of the deceased.

"I am deeply saddened by the accident that happened in the game zone of Rajkot (Gujarat). I have spoken to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and got information regarding this accident. The administration is making every possible effort for relief and rescue work and is providing treatment to the injured. I express my deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this tragic accident and wish for the speedy recovery of the injured," posted Shah on X.
 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also grieved at the loss of lives at the gaming facility in Rajkot and posted on X, "Deeply grieved at the loss of lives in the terrible fire in Rajkot. Our thoughts are very much with all those impacted by this tragedy."

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took to the microblogging site to express sorrow on the fire incident and prayed for peace to the departed souls and strength to their families.

"The news of the death of many people including children in a horrific accident caused by fire in a gaming zone in Rajkot, Gujarat is very sad. May God give peace to the departed souls and strength to their families to bear this pain. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family," posted Vadra on X.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed grief over the mishap at the Rajkot gaming zone and offered his condolences to the families of the victims.

The horrific tragedy of the gaming zone in Rajkot, Gujarat is extremely painful. According to the news, 24 people have died, including many innocent children. We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery. I request the Congress workers to provide all possible help to the people affected by the accident so that the victims do not face any problems in treatment or compensation etc."

Kharge also called out the Gujarat government for a "lax attitude" and demanded accountability for the accident.

"Due to the lax attitude of the state government, such accidents keep happening every day and innocent people lose their lives. We demand from the government that accountability for the accident should be fixed as soon as possible and the culprits should receive the harshest punishment," posted Kharge.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also offered his condolences to the families of the bereaved in the Rajkot fire incident.

"This incident of fire in Rajkot Mall is very sad. My condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones in this accident, may God give courage to all the families and may the injured recover soon," posted Kejriwal on X.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief and condoled the loss of lives in a massive fire at a game zone in Gujarat's Rajkot in which 20 people, including children, were charred to death on Saturday.

The temporary structure of the commercial establishment came down after the fire, trapping dozens of people under it.

Upon receiving information, a team of fire tenders and officials reached the spot and started an operation to rescue people trapped underneath.

The collapse of the structure also made it difficult for fire department officials to carry out the dousing operation. It took more than two hours for the fire and rescue teams to douse.

The administration has also formed a high-level committee to probe the incident.

Speaking to ANI earlier, Rajkot Commissioner of Police, Raju Bhargava said, "Around 20 bodies have been recovered and sent to the hospital for post-mortem examination. A probe will be taken up after the rescue and dousing operations."

"The gaming zone is owned by a person named Yuvraj Singh Solanki. We will be registering an offence for negligence and the deaths that have occurred," he said.

"Further investigation will be taken up once we complete the rescue operations here," he added.

The exact reason behind the fire was not yet clear.