&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Lucknow fire tragedy: 3 arrested; 4 officials suspended; SIT set up for probe")
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday ordered the constitution of a two-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the Aliganj fire tragedy in Lucknow. The probe panel will be led by Amrit Abhijat, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Culture and Religious Affairs, and will include Praveen Kumar, Additional Director General of Police, Lucknow Zone.
The CM took the decision at a high-level review meeting in the aftermath of the Lucknow fire tragedy. The state government has directed the SIT to conduct a comprehensive investigation into all aspects of the incident, including the cause of the fire, adherence to safety norms, statutory approvals granted to the building and any possible negligence. The SIT has been directed to identify the role of individuals and institutions linked to the incident and submit a detailed report to the state government within seven days.
All 15 killed, 9 injured in fire identified
15 people were killed, and nine others sustained injuries after a massive fire engulfed a three-storey commercial building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area on Monday. The victims were between 20 and 28 years of age. Most of the deaths were reportedly caused by suffocation due to heavy smoke.
The building housed an animation training institute and a pet shop, with most of the victims reported to be young students.
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The students were trapped in the animation training institute on the second floor as the fire spread rapidly.
The identities of the 15 people who lost their lives in the fire and those injured have been released by authorities.
The deceased have been identified as Sagar, Nilesh, Anamika, Sanyam, Anuchha, Sukhmani, Aditya Srivastava, Jyoti, Bhavishya, Abdul Rahman, Suraj Shah, Shahjan, Jaynil Chakravarti, Mohammad Ammar, andSumalya.
The injured have been identified as Jayant, Lovepreet, Mohammad Asif, Bhuvan Srivastava, Pankaj, Shailendra, Abhishek, Pankaj Joshi and Gaurav Kumar.
Police lodge FIR, arrest 3 accused
The police have registered an FIR under Sections 110, 105, 125 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 6 and 10 of the Uttar Pradesh Fire Service Act, against four named accused and other responsible persons.
Police have also arrested three persons, including building owner Virendra Shukla (62), gaming and animation zone operator Tushank Krishna Jaiswal (31), and software developer Ramakrishna Upadhyay (43).
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Four officials suspended with immediate effect
Four officials have been suspended with immediate effect on the chief minister’s directions. They are Gaurav Kumar, Executive Engineer (Collection), Jankipuram; Kamlendra Kumar Singh, Fire Safety Station Officer (FSSO), Indira Nagar; Anil Kumar, Assistant Engineer (AE), and Pramod Pandey, Junior Engineer (JE).
The building had received approval for a residential layout plan on August 20, 2014. The approved construction area was 1,992 square feet. In 2016, the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) registered a case over allegations of unauthorised construction, and after proceedings, the competent authority passed a demolition order on May 10, 2016.
However, the demolition order was subsequently cancelled on July 5, 2016 after it was argued that the affected party had not been given a proper hearing and that the construction had been carried out in accordance with the approved building plan.
The building, located at 102/D in Sector D of the Aliganj Scheme, was originally allotted through a lottery system in 1980 and was transferred to Vijay Kumar and Usha through a sale deed in 2005. In 2013, the building was sold to Virendra Pratap Shukla and Surendra Pratap Shukla. The development authority officially mutated the property in the names of the new owners on August 7, 2014.
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CM Yogi announces ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased. The CM also declared financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each for the injured. CM Yogi also visited King George’s Medical University (KGMU) and met families of victims and assured strict action against those found responsible.
