Rajkot fire tragedy: One more partner of game zone arrested

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat police have arrested one more partner of the Rajkot-based TRP game zone where a devastating fire last week killed 27 persons, an official said on Tuesday.

Dhaval Thakkar, the proprietor of Dhaval Corporation, which ran the TRP game zone along with five partners of Raceway Enterprises, was arrested from Abu Road in neighbouring Rajasthan, Banaskantha Superintendent of Police Akshayraj Makwana said.

With this, four persons have so far been arrested in connection with the fire incident at the game zone on Saturday.

"Thakkar was arrested from Abu Road in a joint operation carried out by the Rajkot and Banaskantha police last night," Makwana said.

The police had earlier arrested Yuvrajsinh Solanki and Rahul Rathod, partners in the Raceway Enterprises, and game zone manager Nitin Jain. They were on Monday sent to 14-day police custody by a court in Rajkot.

The police have registered an FIR against six persons - Thakkar, Solanki, Rathod, and Raceway Enterprises partners Ashoksinh Jadeja, Kiritsinh Jadeja and Prakashchand Hiran - in connection with the fire incident.

They have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 337 (causing hurt by an act that endangers the life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt to a person by doing an act that endangers their life or personal safety) and 114 (someone present when offence is committed).

The state government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for a probe into the incident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each deceased.

The central government has also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased person.