Fire tragedy: Goa govt steps up action against club chain; 2 properties sealed
Panaji (PTI): The Goa government has intensified its crackdown on the controversial Romeo Lane club chain after a deadly fire at one of its outlets claimed 25 lives, officials said on Monday.
Two other properties of the hospitality company in Goa have been sealed, they said.
A state police team also left for Delhi on Sunday to search for the property promoters -- Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra -- against whom a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered, they said.
Birch by Romeo Lane, a nightclub at Arpora in North Goa, caught fire late Saturday night, killing 25 persons, the majority of whom were their staffers, they said.
The Anjuna police in Goa have arrested the club's chief general manager, Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania, and gate manager Riyanshu Thakur.
The North Goa district administration has sealed a beach shack and another club, both part of the Romeo Lane chain, located at Vagator and Assagao, respectively, an official said.
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Action has been initiated against both properties as they were involved in disputes, the official said.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said that a team of state police had left for Delhi in search of the Luthras.
Both the promoters would be arrested as an FIR has been registered against them in connection with the blaze, he added.
Fireworks emerged as the likely cause of the blaze at 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub at Arpora, located 25 km from Panaji, officials said on Sunday, adding that the facility allegedly did not possess even a fire department NOC.
The deceased included 20 employees of the nightclub and five tourists, including four from Delhi.
Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation, as the victims got trapped on the ground floor and in the kitchen, said a fire brigade official.
As per initial information, the nightclub had not adhered to fire safety norms, CM Sawant said on Sunday.
A preliminary inquiry indicated that "electric firecrackers" were set off inside, which started the blaze at 11.45 pm on Saturday, Sawant said.
The CM has directed Chief Secretary V Candavelou and DGP Alok Kumar to identify and act against the government officials who allowed the club to operate even though it violated safety rules.
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Pune journalist booked on voyeurism charge for filming woman at lodge
Pune (PTI): Police have registered a case of voyeurism against a television journalist in Pune for allegedly filming a woman in an objectionable position without her consent at a lodge in the city, officials said on Saturday.
The FIR was filed against Rohan Kadam under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 77 (voyeurism) and 3(5) (common intention) at the Vishrambaug police station here, while the complaint mentions that he was accompanied by three other journalists, they said.
The incident took place on April 8 when the accused had checked into a room at a lodge in Budhwar Peth, which houses a red light area.
In her complaint, the woman said that while she was wearing her saree after establishing "physical relations with a customer", she realised that an unidentified person was filming her through a net above the partition wall between the rooms.
She opened the door of her room and knocked on the adjacent door, asking the person to come out, the FIR said.
"The woman sought clarification from Kadam, who gave vague answers and refused to show his phone. When the lodge operator, the woman and others questioned him, he claimed that they were a group of four journalists conducting a sting operation," it said.
Police said Kadam was assaulted when he allegedly tried to flee from the spot.
The woman later approached the Vishrambaug police station and lodged a complaint.
"We have registered a case in this regard and further probe is on," a police officer said.
Meanwhile, the Pune Union of Working Journalists (PUWJ) has written a letter to city Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, seeking action against the journalist for the alleged act.
In the letter, the journalists' body said there were murmurs that some journalists and others were trying to ensure that no offence is registered in the matter.
"We do not agree with this and clarify that PUWJ will not come in the way of the probe," the letter stated.
