Families of those who perished in the fire at Takshashila Complex have approached the Gujarat High Court in hopes that the officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Fire Department will be held responsible for the tragedy. The families have been unhappy with the police investigation into the incident in Surat which resulted in 22 deaths, mostly of students, on May 24.
A PIL was filed by Kevin Kevadiya on Friday, demanding that SMC and fire department officials who were supposed to keep a check on the illegal construction and fire safety of the building should be named in the case’s FIR. Kevadiya lost his sister in the blaze.
Kevadiya has alleged that the Surat Crime Branch has not booked any corporation or fire department official so far. During a press conference on Friday, he maintained that the fire and resultant deaths took place due to a lapse in duty by authorities, and justice would be served only when the officers responsible are punished.
None of the petitioners in the three cases are satisfied by the Surat Crime Branch’s investigations. A petition filed by a businessman Jaysukhlal Gajera, who lost his daughter in the fire, demands that the court transfer the probe to CID (crime) and that it should be monitored by the court.
Gajera has alleged that investigators are well aware that government officials are responsible for the fire, but chose not to name them in the FIR and are shielding them.
The court sought a reply from Surat police commissioner to Gajera’s plea and directed him to submit a progress report. A PIL filed by Sajeev Ezhava demands strict action against buildings violating fire safety norms and mandatory fire insurance. In this regard, the court has sought a reply from the authorities by June 27.
Mounting Accountability
- Kevin Kevadiya demands SMC and fire department officials be named in the case’s FIR. Kevadiya lost his sister in the blaze
- Businessman Jaysukhlal Gajera, who lost a daughter, wants probe to be transferred to CID (crime) and be monitored by the court
