Rajkot fire case: Owner laughs off in court, another confirmed dead in May 25 tragedy

In the new development in the Rajkot TRP gaming zone fire, investigators confirmed its co-owner Prakashchand Hiran alias Prakash Jain was among those killed on May 25.

Authorities confirmed the identity of Prakash Hiran through DNA testing.

Prakashchand Hiran, was also among the six TRP Game Zone partners facing charges of culpable homicide.

The main accused in the Rajkot TRP Game Zone fire incident, Dhaval Thakkar, was arrested by Banaskantha crime branch police and Rajkot Police from the north Indian state of Rajasthan on Sunday (May 26).

Meanwhile, the co-owner of the gaming zone,Prakash Hiran, was confirmed dead on Tuesday.Hiran was among the six individuals against whom the Gujarat police filed an FIR and had been missing since the tragedy happened.

On the other hand, Thakkar is the fourth individual arrested in the case. He fled after the fire broke out in the game zone, leading to the loss of 27lives, including four children.

Earlier, three men – Yuvrajsinh Solanki, Nitin Jain and Rahul Rathod – were arrested in connection with the Rajkot game zone fire in the western state of Gujarat.

The court of additional judicial magistrate BP Thakar remanded the three accused in police custody for two weeks, special public prosecutor Tushar Gokani informed.

While addressing the media, Tushar Gokani said that Yuvrajsinh Solanki tried to put up an act to express before the court that he was filled with remorse for whatever happened.

“After entering the court, Thakkar attempted to convey remorse for the incident, giving the impression that he was in tears. However, within five minutes, he was laughing and engaging in arguments with the court,” Tushar Gokani said.

“This 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,” Gokani added.

Out of the six accused named in the FIR, four have been arrested so far.

"The main ground of remand was that the accused were not cooperating during the investigation. They are giving elusive replies' to whatever questions are being 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 bring out the truth," Gokani said.

The fire incident

On Saturday (May 25), a fire at a two-storey building housing the TRP Game Zone claimed the lives of 27 people, including four children. The building, as per reports, was crowded with over 300 people, many of them children, due to the summer holidays and weekend rush.

Presenting newspaper clippings from various Indian publications, Advocate Amit Panchal informed the court that the TRP gaming zone in Rajkot had not obtained the necessary permissions, particularly from the fire department.

Police officers and municipal body officials suspended

Meanwhile, the Gujarat government on Monday (May 27) suspended seven officials, including two police inspectors and civic staff, for negligence in the Rajkot game zone fire.

The officials, as per a release from the government, have been held responsible "for their gross negligence in allowing this game zone to operate without necessary approvals."

(With inputs from agencies)