Court Seeks Report in TRP Game Zone Fire Case

A Rajkot court has demanded a report from the Special Investigation Team concerning the deadly TRP game zone fire, following a petition for criminal cases against transferred or suspended officials. The tragedy resulted in 27 deaths. The court also extended the police remand for an accused in the case.

A court here on Wednesday sought a report from the Special Investigation Team probing the TRP game zone fire on a petition seeking registration of criminal cases against the IPS and IAS officers who were transferred, and others who were suspended after the tragedy. The `criminal inquiry plea' sought First Information Reports (FIRs) against Rajkot police commissioner Raju Bhargava, municipal commissioner Anand Patel, and two IPS officers who were transferred, and nine officials who were suspended after the May 25 incident which claimed 27 lives.

In a related development, the court sent Kiritsinh Jadeja, a fifth accused arrested in the fire case, in eight-day police remand.

Additional judicial magistrate B P Thakar issued a notice to the SIT, seeking a status report of its ongoing inquiry against all these officials by June 20, said advocate Rajesh Jalu, petitioner Vinesh Chhaya's lawyer.

The petition argued that the grounds on which these officials were transferred or suspended were enough to register an FIR. The petitioner sought FIR against these officials under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (causing hurt to someone by acting in a way that is rash or negligent and endangers human life or the safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt to someone by an act that endangers their life or personal safety).

''The reason for filing this present complaint has also arisen because 27 persons have died and other persons injured due to their carelessness in duties,'' the plea said.

TRP game zone was running for the last three-four years without any permissions or licence, the petition noted. Apart from Bhargava, then Rajkot Deputy Commissioner of Police Sudhirkumar Desai and Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vidhi Choudhary as well as then Municipal Commissioner Anand Patel were transferred and kept on waiting for posting two days after the incident.

Among suspended civic officials are chief fire officer Ilesh Kher, deputy chief fire officer Bhikhabhai Theba, assistant engineer Jaideep Chaudhary, assistant town planner Gautam Joshi, fire station officer Rahit Vigora, deputy executive engineer of roads and buildings department M R Suma, then assistant engineer Paras Kothia, and police inspectors V R Patel and N I Rathod.