Who Is Responsible for 25 Deaths in the Goa Nightclub Tragedy? 5 Big Questions

Goa

Nightclub Tragedy: Weekend revelry turned into a horrific tragedy as a massive fire tore through a nightclub in North Goa after midnight on Sunday, killing 25 people and injuring several others. The fire broke out at the dance floor of the 'Birch by Romeo Lane', the nightclub situated in Arpora village, around 25 kms from the state capital Panaji. There were at least 100 people on the dance floor who ran downstairs in order to escape, but got trapped in the kitchen along with the staff. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered, and 5 arrests have been made. Further, three officials have also been suspended for failure to enforce rules under scanner.

What Led to Goa Nightclub Tragedy

According to an eyewitness, the fire at Birch by Romeo Lane, a nightclub at Arpora in North Goa, caught fire late Saturday night. The fire started on the dance floor, on which at least 100 people were present. The people, in an attempt to escape, ran downstairs to its kitchen located on the ground floor, where they got trapped along with the staff, Fatima Shaikh, a tourist from Hyderabad said. Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation, as the victims got trapped on the ground floor and in the kitchen, according to a fire brigade official.

Narrow Lane, Small Doors, On-going Construction & More

Narrow lanes blocked access of fire brigade vehicles, and the water tankers had to be parked about 400 metres away from the spot. This made controlling the blaze a challenging task, a senior officer from the Fire and Emergency Services told PTI. Small doors coupled with the narrow bridge leading to it made it difficult for the people to escape, fire brigade officials said.icials said on Sunday, adding that the facility allegedly did not possess even a fire department NOC.A Hyderabad tourist said that in no time, the entire nightclub was engulfed in flames. “There was a temporary construction made up of palm leaves which easily caught fire,” said Shaikh.

5 Big Questions

Although a probe has been launched to determine the exact cause of the fire and a crackdown is underway against those allegedly responsible, several pressing questions continue to loom large over the Goa nightclub tragedy1. How did the fire start at a nightclub in Goa on a jam-packed weekend? 2. How did so many get trapped in the kitchen without a safe escape route? 3. Was the nightclub operating without a fire safety NOC and excise permissions for a year? 4. Did a temporary construction made of palm leaves worsen the blaze? 5. Were enforcement officials complicit in overlooking rules, which has now led to suspensions?

Firecrackers Behind Deadly Goa Fire?

A preliminary inquiry into the devastating fire at a nightclub suggests that "electric firecrackers" were set off inside the premises, sparking a blaze that claimed 25 lives, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said. A preliminary inquiry indicated that "electric firecrackers" were set off inside, which started the blaze at 11.45 pm on Saturday, Sawant said, as reported by PTI.While the state police initially said the blaze occurred due to a cylinder blast, an eyewitness had claimed the fire started on the club's first floor where tourists were dancing. The same has now been confirmed by the chief minister. Riya, a tourist from Delhi who survived the fire, claimed that firecrackers burst all around when dancers were performing, which could have triggered the fire. “There was a stampede-like situation," she said.

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Were Safety Norms Violated at Goa Nightclub?

The fire at the Arpora nightclub has brought to the fore illegalities along with the laxity of government officials in enforcing rules. According to the initial probe, the club did not adhere to fire safety norms, the CM said.Congress's Goa desk in-charge Manikrao Thakare, who visited the site on Sunday along with state unit president Amit Patkar, claimed that the club had not obtained permission from the Excise Department to sell liquor, nor did it have the mandatory No Objection Certificate from the Fire and Emergency Services Department. Despite this, the club was operating for one year which indicated that someone supported it, he said.

Goa Authorities in Action: 5 Arrested, 3 Officials Suspended

The Goa government has intensified its crackdown on the Romeo Lane club chain after the deadly fire. The North Goa district administration has sealed a beach shack and another club, both part of the Romeo Lane chain, located at Vagator and Assagao. Further, a Goa police team has been dispatched to Delhi to search for the nightclub owner Saurabh Luthra, against whom a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered.

The Goa Police had on Sunday arrested the club's chief general manager, Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania, and gate manager Riyanshu Thakur. Another employee, identified as Bharat Kohli, a resident of the Sabzi Mandi area in New Delhi, has also been detained. According to the initial probe, he was responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the nightclub and his name surfaced during the questioning of a club manager. Three senior government officials, Siddhi Tushar Harlankar, who was then Director of Panchayat, Dr Shamila Monteiro, who was then Member Secretary of the Goa State Pollution Control Board, and Raghuvir Bagkar, then Secretary of Village Panchayat Arpora-Nagoa, were suspended for their role in allowing the nightclub to start operations in 2023. The government also formed a probe panel comprising the South Goa Collector, Deputy Director of Fire and Emergency Services, and the Director of Forensic Laboratory. It has been asked to submit its report within a week.An ex-gratia of Rs five lakh for the nearest kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured would be paid from the State Disaster Management Authority Funds, the chief minister said.