In a damning submission, Anjuna police have detailed a shocking litany of safety failures at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa, where a devastating fire claimed 25 lives on December 6. The police have strongly opposed bail for three arrested employees, arguing that the establishment operated with a deliberate and reckless disregard for basic safety norms.
Court Rejects Bail, Police Outline Criminal Negligence
The Mapusa court on Tuesday rejected the interim bail plea of three employees: bar manager Rajveer Singhania (32), general manager Vivek Singh (27), and gate manager Priyanshu Thakur (32). In their opposition, the police stated the nightclub had no fire safety measures, no emergency evacuation plan, and no emergency exit doors on the ground and deck floors. They called this a "deliberate omission" that directly fueled the tragedy's scale.
Represented by advocate Vinayak Porob, the three managers argued they were not principal authorities but subordinate staff following orders from the operation manager, and claimed false implication. Their regular bail applications will be heard again on Thursday.
A Catalogue of Safety Failures and Locked Exits
Police submissions paint a picture of extreme negligence. They stated the accused were responsible for day-to-day operations, safety, and crowd management. Despite this, they allowed a fireworks display inside the enclosed, crowded venue without any precautions, fire safety equipment, or gadgets.
"They facilitated the event with fireworks with knowledge that it could cause a major fire hazard, clearly amounting to gross criminal negligence and reckless disregard for human life," the police stated, adding they should have objected.
A critical failure was the locked western gate. Police pointed out the workers knew it was locked but made no arrangement for separate emergency exits. "If the west side door gate was kept unlocked, it would have served as an exit door for the evacuation of tourists and staff," the submission noted.
Deaths in the Basement and a Blow to Public Confidence
The investigation revealed the nightclub's kitchen, which served around 150 people, had no fire alarm or firefighting equipment. This negligence proved fatal for 20 employees who died of suffocation after being trapped in the basement kitchen.
Police emphasized that ensuring all requisite permissions and licenses was the joint responsibility of owners, partners, and the managers running the business. Their collective failure amounted to gross negligence of statutory duties and the safety of tourists, guests, and staff.
Asserting that the incident has shaken public confidence and drawn national attention, police argued that granting bail would send the wrong signal and undermine the seriousness of offences involving mass casualties driven by commercial greed. They hold the managers directly liable for the catastrophic outcome.
