Lucknow fire tragedy: 4 officials suspended, building owners arrested

Four government officials have been suspended and four building owners have been arrested in connection with a fire incident at a commercial building in the Aliganj area of Lucknow, which resulted in the deaths of 15 people, police said on Monday night. Officials said the accused are joint owners of the building. An FIR has been filed at the Aliganj police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Act against six named individuals and others, police said. Those arrested have been identified as Ram Krishna Upadhyay (43), a resident of Sector-D, Aliganj; Virendra Prasad Shukla (62), a resident of Sitapur Road area; and Tushar Krishna Jaiswal (31), a resident of Balaganj area, they said. The fourth accused has been identified as Suresh Kumar Sahu, a resident of Keshavnagar (Lucknow), police said.
As per information, the building on Usha Mehta Marg in north Lucknow, where the fire broke out on a busy Monday afternoon, had originally been sanctioned as a residential property. According to records of the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) and house tax documents of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, the building's map was approved as a house and not as a commercial establishment.Investigators have found that the property was allegedly converted into a commercial complex despite receiving approval for residential use. Authorities said the conversion is believed to have taken place in 2014.
Aliganj ACP Shashi Prakash Mishra informed PTI that the allegations are under investigation, and appropriate action will be taken. Further legal proceedings are underway, the police said.The fire broke out at a three-storey commercial building in Aliganj on Monday afternoon, killing 15 people and injuring several others. The building housed an animation centre where students had gathered, as well as a pet shop and a clinic on the lower floors.
The Uttar Pradesh government said the suspensions were ordered on the directions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath. "On the directions of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, four persons have been suspended with immediate effect. They are: Gaurav Kumar (Executive Engineer Collection of Electricity Department), Kamlendra Kumar Singh, FSSO (Fire Department) Indira Nagar, Anil Kumar AE (LDA), and Pramod Kumar JE(LDA)," the state government said in a statement. The state government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 for seriously injured victims. He directed officials to ensure proper medical treatment and extend all possible assistance to those affected.