A devastating fire ripped through a popular nightclub in North Goa late Saturday night, claiming 25 lives and leaving six others injured. The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the state's vibrant tourism and nightlife sector.
How the Tragedy Unfolded
The incident occurred around 11:45 pm on Saturday at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, located approximately 16 kilometers from Panaji. Reports indicate that approximately 150 guests were present for a weekend event featuring a belly dancer. The blaze erupted in seconds when electric firecrackers, used as part of the performance, hit the wooden ceiling on the first floor.
The wooden structure fueled the rapid spread of the fire, turning the venue into an inferno. As flames engulfed the roof, a panicked rush for the exits began. While most attendees managed to escape, a group became trapped inside after the main exit caught fire. They sought refuge in the basement, which lacked proper ventilation.
Victims, Arrests, and Immediate Fallout
Of the 25 deceased, 23 were found in the basement, suspected to have died from suffocation. Police discovered the bodies piled together. Two more charred bodies were recovered from the staircase. The victims included five tourists, with four belonging to a single family from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The remaining deceased were employees hailing from Assam, Bengal, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, UP, and Nepal.
Goa Police, under DGP Alok Kumar, swiftly arrested four club staff members: chief general manager Rajiv Modak, gate manager Priyanshu Thakur, bar manager Rajveer Singhania, and general manager Vivek Singh. An FIR has been registered against the club's Delhi-based owners, Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. A police team is in Delhi with a warrant for their arrest.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant dismissed initial theories of a cylinder blast, confirming the firecracker cause. He announced a magisterial inquiry to identify lapses, with a report expected within a week. The state government also suspended three officials—former director of panchayats Siddhi Halarnkar, ex-state pollution control board member secretary Shamila Monteiro, and former Arpora-Nagoa panchayat secretary Reghuvir Bagkar—for allegedly allowing the club to operate without adhering to safety norms.
Compensation and Further Actions
In response to the disaster, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for each injured person. CM Sawant separately declared a compensation of Rs 5 lakh per death and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
The government has sealed another property, Romeo Lane at Vagator, owned by the same individuals, after an inquiry revealed inadequate fire-safety measures there. The chief secretary and the DGP have been directed to initiate disciplinary action against the suspended officials. By evening, postmortems were conducted on 17 bodies, with five already handed over to grieving families.
