Lucknow: The police have taken into custody four people in connection with the Aliganj fire tragedy that claimed the lives of fifteen people, mostly students. The accused are joint-owners of the building, the police said on Monday night.
The police further stated that a First Information Report (FIR) has been filed under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Act against six named individuals and others.
The FIR has been lodged under BNS Sections 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 125 (rash or negligent act that endangers human life) and under provisions of the UP Fire and Emergency Services Act.
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.
It has been alleged that the building was approved for residential use but was being illegally utilised for commercial activities. Aliganj ACP Shashi Prakash Mishra informed PTI that the allegations are under investigation, and that appropriate action will be taken.
The fire broke out on a three-storey building housing an animation centre in a residential area in Aliganj on Monday afternoon, killing 15 people and trapping several others. The building housed an animation centre where students had gathered as well as a pet shop and clinic on the lower floors.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish at the the loss of live and announced a solatium of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of the deceased. The injured would be given ₹50,000.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cut short his visit to Aligarh and returned to Lucknow after receiving information about the fire tragedy.
(With inputs from PTI)
