Major safety violations uncovered at Rajkot game zone after tragic fire incident
Rajkot: The devastating fire that engulfed a gaming zone in Rajkot, claiming the lives of 28 individuals, including 9 children, has spotlighted serious lapses in safety standards at the establishment. Authorities revealed that the amusement center, known as TRP, was operating without the necessary no-objection certificate (NOC) for fire clearance and had only one exit, raising concerns about its preparedness for emergencies.
The tragedy struck during a period of heightened footfall, with the gaming zone offering discounted tickets priced at just ₹99 for the weekend. While initial investigations suggest a possible short circuit as the cause of the fire, conclusive findings are pending a thorough probe.
Firefighters faced formidable challenges combating the blaze, compounded by the collapse of the temporary structure and adverse wind conditions. The intensity of the fire was such that smoke billowed several kilometers away, leaving victims' bodies charred beyond recognition. DNA samples have been collected to aid in identification.
The absence of requisite licenses and fire safety clearances from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation has drawn sharp criticism, with regulatory oversight coming under scrutiny in the aftermath of the tragedy. Rajkot Mayor Nayna Pedhadiya, overseeing rescue efforts at the scene, confirmed the lack of a fire NOC and pledged a thorough investigation into the regulatory lapses.
The facility's single emergency exit exacerbated the panic and difficulty in evacuating patrons, particularly as a collapse near the entrance impeded egress. Both the owner and manager of the TRP game zone have been detained for interrogation.
In response to the incident, the state director general of police has instructed law enforcement agencies to conduct comprehensive inspections of game zones across Gujarat, with directives to shut down any operation without proper fire safety permissions.
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NEET-UG: 2 more held, role of several NTA officers under scanner; CBI focussing on source of leak
New Delhi (PTI): The CBI has arrested two more persons in connection with the NEET (UG) paper-leak case, with the role of several officers of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and other organisations, who had access to the printing press where the papers were printed, coming under the scanner, officials said on Thursday.
The agency has arrested Dhananjay Lokhanda from Ahilyanagar and Manisha Waghmare from Pune and conducted searches at 14 locations across the country in the last 24 hours, they said.
The CBI is focussing on identifying the source of the leak that has caused massive disappointment to lakhs of aspirants eyeing a seat in undergraduate medical courses, which are allotted after the highly-competitive examination, the officials said.
According to the CBI probe so far, the involvement of public servants in the leak cannot be ruled out.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three individuals from Jaipur -- Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal -- along with Yash Yadav from Gurugram and Shubham Khairnar from Nashik.
Khairnar was in touch with Yadav and informed him in April that Mangilal Biwal was ready to pay Rs 10-12 lakh for arranging leaked NEET (UG) 2026 questions for his younger son.
Khairnar allegedly provided 500 to 600 questions from the leaked paper to Yadav, the officials said, adding that the questions could have helped score enough marks to get a seat in a reputed medical college.
Mangilal Biwal allegedly procured the paper from Yadav, who was known to his elder son Vikas Biwal from an NEET coaching in Rajasthan's Sikar. The deal between Mangilal Biwal and Yadav was for Rs 10 lakh, if 150 questions from the question bank matched with those in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) paper, the officials said.
Mangilal Biwal shared the paper with his son and further distributed it among relatives.
Yadav also told Vikas Biwal to find additional candidates for the questions to recover some of the money that he had spent on getting those, the officials said.
An analysis of digital devices has given the agency incriminating chats, leaked question papers and other digital evidence. The CBI will subject the devices to a forensic examination to get the deleted data, the officials said.
The federal agency has registered an FIR and formed teams to probe the alleged NEET (UG) paper leak that resulted in the cancellation of the exam held on May 3.
The NEET (UG) 2026 was conducted across 551 Indian cities and at 14 overseas centres. Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test, which was administered by the NTA at centres across the country.
According to the NTA, information regarding alleged malpractice was received on the evening of May 7, four days after the examination was held. The NTA said the inputs were escalated to central agencies the following morning for "independent verification and necessary action".
The Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) has claimed that a "guess paper" for chemistry, allegedly circulated among students ahead of the examination, had approximately 410 questions, including roughly 120 that appeared in the test.
