The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Gujarat): In the wake of the tragic fire at TRP Game Zone in Rajkot, which claimed the lives of 27 individuals, including children, the Gujarat Police have intensified their crackdown on illegal game zones operating without proper permissions. The incident, which occurred on May 25, has led to the arrest of five individuals and a broader investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) established by the state government and city police.
Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, directed all police commissioners and superintendents to file FIRs against the management of unauthorized game zones. This directive was issued during a meeting with state DGP Vikas Sahay and other senior officers in Gandhinagar, according to an official release.
The police have identified and booked the owners of 18 such illegal game zones across Gujarat. In Rajkot alone, eight game zones, including a water park, have been sealed, and cases have been registered against their owners for operating without necessary permissions. These cases were filed under Section 336 of the IPC, which pertains to acts endangering life or personal safety, and provisions of the Gujarat Police Act.
In Ahmedabad, police sealed four illegal game zones and filed cases against their owners. Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik emphasized that game zones are required by law to obtain various NOCs for fire, electrical, and mechanical safety before receiving police permission to operate. None of the four sealed game zones had acquired these permissions.
Similarly, in Surat, police sealed six game zones in the Rander, Pal, Umara, and Vesu areas and registered complaints against their owners for running the facilities without valid licenses.
The Rajkot fire incident remains under intense scrutiny, with the SIT probing the causes and circumstances. In a related development, the Rajkot collector confirmed that DNA samples of all victims have been matched with their relatives.
The Gujarat High Court has also expressed concern over the Rajkot civic body’s alleged negligence regarding fire safety orders. A special bench of Justices Biren Vaishnav and Devan Desai questioned whether the civic body had failed to enforce these orders for 18 months, as highlighted in a previous PIL.