NEW DELHI: Three men have been
arrested
in connection with the game zone fire that resulted in the loss of 28 lives. They have been sent to a 14-day police remand by a court in the Rajkot district on Monday.
The court of additional judicial magistrate BP Thakar has remanded three
accused
individuals, namely Yuvraj Hari Singh Solanki, Nitin Jain and Rahul Rathod in
police custody
for a period of two weeks, as stated by special public prosecutor Tushar Gokani.
Speaking to the media on Monday, special public prosecutor Tushar Gokani said, “Today the accused were brought before the honourable court and further police custody of
14 days
was sought.
Out of 6 accused named in the FIR, 3 accused persons were arrested, of which two are named in the FIR and one of them was not named.
The main ground of remand was that they were not cooperating during the
investigation
. They (the accused) are giving “evasive replies’ to whatever questions are asked and whatever documents are asked.
They are saying it was burnt in the incident. They are not cooperating in the investigation and that was the main ground to seek their cooperation and elicit truth from them,” said the official.
“We told the court that the main accused are on the run, and these accused persons make evasive replies and are not cooperating with the investigating agencies,” Gokani said.
It was mentioned that the accused Solanki attempted to act remorseful in front of the court, trying to convey a sense of regret for the incident.
“This very accused seemed like he was crying as soon as he entered the court but in just a few minutes he started laughing and he said “that these kinds of things happen” which was taken in a serious note by the honourable court,” said Gokani.
Gokani added that the police are thoroughly investigating all aspects of the documents, with the investigation into the matter currently in progress.
Yuvraj Hari Singh Solanki and Rahul Rathod, partners in Raceway Enterprise that managed the TRP game zone, along with the recreation centre manager Nitin Jain, are currently in police custody.
According to a government release, the officials have been deemed responsible for gross negligence in permitting the operation of the game zone without the required approvals.
An FIR has been lodged against six individuals, including TRP Game Zone owner Yuvraj Hari Singh Solanki, manager Nitin Jain, and others at Rajkot Taluka Police Station. During the day, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Rambhai Mokariya paid a visit to the families of the victims of the Rajkot fire incident on Monday. Confirming the death toll, he said.
“The official death toll stands at 28. It has not increased and any number other than that is just a rumour.” In response to the fire incident at a gaming zone in Rajkot, the Gujarat government has taken action by suspending seven officials, which includes two police inspectors and civic staff from Rajkot Municipal Corporation, for neglecting their duties.
Subsequent to the incident, all gaming zones in Vadodara underwent inspection and were temporarily closed down.
(With inputs from ANI)