Goa nightclub fire: 4 staff members arrested, officials face action

Hours after a crowded nightclub in North Goa turned into a death trap late Saturday after a massive fire tore through the premises, killing 25 people and injuring six, four persons have been arrested in the case.

Police have arrested four staff members — chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania and gate manager Riyanshu Thakur.

The club’s owners, Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, named in the FIR, are also likely to be taken into custody, officials said.

Among the dead were four tourists and 14 employees, several of them from Jharkhand. The identities of seven victims were still being established. Most fatalities occurred due to suffocation as people were trapped on the ground floor and inside the kitchen, fire officials said.

The nightclub stood along a narrow bridge over the Arpora backwater, and its small exits made escape difficult as panic spread.

The blaze at Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora — around 25 km from Panaji — has exposed serious safety lapses, including the absence of a fire department NOC and inadequate escape routes.

Officials said fireworks used inside the club were the likely trigger for the blaze, which began around 11.45 pm. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said a preliminary inquiry pointed to “electric firecrackers” being set off indoors.

He directed Chief Secretary V. Candavelou and Director General of Police Alok Kumar to identify and take action against government officials who allowed the club to operate despite clear safety violations.

Fire department officials confirmed that the club lacked a mandatory no-objection certificate, raising questions about regulatory oversight.

The state government has constituted a committee comprising the South Goa Collector, the Deputy Director of Fire and Emergency Services and the Director of the Forensic Laboratory.

The panel has been asked to submit its report within a week. The government also announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh for the families of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured, to be paid from the State Disaster Management Authority Funds. Arrangements will be made to transport the bodies to their home states, the Chief Minister added.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos. Riya, a tourist from Delhi, said firecrackers burst “all around” during a dance performance, leading to panic and a stampede-like situation.

Another tourist, Fatima Shaikh from Hyderabad, said more than 100 people were on the dance floor when the fire erupted. Some rushed downstairs into the kitchen, where many became trapped along with staff members.

With PTI inputs