Three building owners were arrested and four Uttar Pradesh officials were suspended after the Lucknow building fire killed 15 people and injured nine. Investigators are probing suspected fire safety and building norm violations.
Four people have been arrested and four government officials suspended as authorities intensified action over the devastating fire that tore through a three-storey commercial building in Lucknow, killing 15 people, including students, and injuring nine others.
Police said the three arrested accused – Ram Krishna Upadhyay (43), Virendra Prasad Shukla (62) and Tushar Krishna Jaiswal (31) – are joint owners of the building located in Aliganj, a posh locality. A fourth accused, identified as Suresh Kumar Sahu, was arrested. The building housed an animation training centre on the upper floor, while a pet shop and a clinic operated on the lower floors.
The exact cause of the blaze remains unclear. However, officials suspect a short circuit in an air-conditioning unit installed in the basement may have triggered the fire.
According to investigators, the structure was approved as a residential building but was allegedly being used for commercial activities. Authorities are examining whether violations of building and fire safety norms contributed to the disaster.
FOUR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SUSPENDED
In a parallel administrative action, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered the suspension of four government officials over alleged lapses linked to the incident.
Those suspended are Gaurav Kumar, Executive Engineer (Collection), Jankipuram; Kamlendra Kumar Singh, Food Safety and Standards Officer (FSSO), Indira Nagar; Anil Kumar, Assistant Engineer; and Pramod Pandey, Junior Engineer.
Officials said more disciplinary action could follow depending on the findings of the investigation.
An FIR has been registered at Aliganj police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Act against six named accused and others found responsible for the tragedy.
SIT FORMED TO PROBE TRAGEDY
Adityanath has constituted a two-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a detailed probe into the fire. The team comprises Amrit Abhijat, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Culture and Religious Affairs, and Praveen Kumar, Additional Director General, Lucknow Zone.
The SIT has been directed to submit its report within seven days.
PEOPLE TRAPPED AS FLAMES SPREAD
Most of the victims were trapped on the second floor where students were attending classes. Eyewitnesses said several people jumped from the building as flames and smoke rapidly engulfed the structure. Some students also locked themselves inside bathrooms to escape the smoke.
One student jumped from the first floor and landed on a metal grill below, sustaining serious injuries, in a video that went viral.
CAUSE OF FIRE UNDER PROBE
The exact cause of the blaze remains unclear. However, officials suspect a short circuit in an air-conditioning unit installed in the basement may have triggered the fire.
Urban Development and Energy Minister AK Sharma said preliminary findings suggest smoke spread through the building due to the absence of adequate escape routes, leading to suffocation deaths.
Possible violations of building standards are also being examined, he said.
