Rajkot fire: Have got green signal to quiz top officials, says SIT chief; all DNA samples matched

AHMEDABAD: The chief of the SIT set up to probe the Rajkot game zone fire that killed 27 said on Wednesday that they have been given the go-ahead to question even senior IAS and IPS officials if the probe warranted.

In a related development, the Rajkot collector said that the DNA samples of all the victims have been matched with their relatives.

The Special Investigation Team chief Subhash Trivedi spoke to the media after Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi met the SIT members in Gandhinagar and reviewed the progress in the probe.

“We have been instructed to probe the roles of officers associated with Rajkot Municipal Corporation, fire department, police and power utility firm and take stern action if they are found guilty,” said Trivedi.

A massive fire at the TRP Game Zone, a recreation facility, claimed the lives of 27 persons, including children, on May 25, prompting the state government to set up the SIT.

The SIT comprises the commissioner of technical education BN Pani, director of the Gandhinagar-based forensic science laboratory HP Sanghvi, Ahmedabad’s chief fire officer JN Khadia, and MB Desai, the superintending engineer of the roads and buildings department.

A separate investigation is being conducted by the Rajkot police that have arrested five persons so far.

“MoS Home (Sanghavi) has clearly told us to question even senior government employees, including IAS and IPS officials, if needed. In the coming days, they will be called by the SIT for the purpose of investigation. The SIT is also probing the role of each of the seven government employees, including two police officers, who were already suspended,” said Trivedi.

Since the game zone operators had stored over 30 litres of petrol on their premises, which was beyond the permissible limit, relevant sections will be added to the FIR under the Petroleum Act, said Trivedi.

“The minister has asked us to conduct a thorough probe so that action can be taken against those who were responsible for this tragedy. This is a fool-proof case. A commercial structure was erected on a piece of land without acquiring NA (Non-Agriculture) clearance. Police will record statements under section 164 of CrPC,” Trivedi said.

Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) pertains to recording of statement by a Magistrate.

He said Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay is supervising the probe being conducted by the Rajkot police into the incident.

Meanwhile, Rajkot Collector Prabhav Joshi announced that DNA samples of all the 27 deceased, whose charred bodies were recovered from the rubble, have been matched with their relatives and there are no further claimants as of now.