23 people died in the fire at Flourish Stay Hotel in Malviya Nagar, South Delhi. Delhi Police may file charge sheet next week. Forensic reports, CCTV footage and statements of witnesses are being analyzed in the investigation. Three including the owner are arrested.
New Delhi [भारत]July 1 (ANI): Senior police sources have confirmed that Delhi Police is likely to file a chargesheet next week in connection with the massive fire that broke out at Flourish Stay Hotel in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area. 23 people including many foreign nationals lost their lives in this accident.
Chargesheet will be filed next week
According to sources, the investigation has reached its final stage. The investigators are finalizing the charge sheet after thorough examination of forensic reports, CCTV footage, statements of witnesses and other technical evidence collected during the investigation. It is expected that this document will be presented before the competent court next week.
After the incident, the police arrested the hotel owner, manager and a cook. The investigators have alleged that gross violations of fire safety norms and other statutory provisions came to light during the investigation.
On June 3, a massive fire broke out at the Flourish Stay Hotel located in Hauz Rani area of Malviya Nagar, in which 23 people died and many others were injured. Sources say the chargesheet will detail the exact sequence of events leading to the tragedy, institutional lapses, specific roles of the accused and evidence collected. Further legal proceedings will begin after the court takes cognizance of the charge sheet.
Judicial custody of accused extended
On June 22, the Saket court had extended the judicial custody of ‘Flourish Stay’ hotel owners Lavkesh Bajaj, Keshav Negi and Jai Mishra for another 14 days. He has been arrested in a case related to the Malviya Nagar hotel fire, in which 22 people were killed. Duty Judicial Magistrate First Class (Duty JMFC) Ankita Bhatia extended the judicial custody of the three accused till July 6. After the expiry of judicial custody, the accused were produced in the court through video conferencing.
Delhi Police had filed an application seeking extension of judicial custody, stating that the investigation was ongoing and further judicial custody of the accused was necessary.
Investigation reveals huge security flaws
During the investigation, officials reportedly discovered multiple safety violations and serious deficiencies in the building’s fire safety infrastructure. According to sources, the windows and glass panels of the building were completely sealed, leaving no way for the smoke to escape.
Investigators also found that the basement entrance was locked from the inside. It reportedly took about 10 minutes for rescue teams to reach the basement, from where six to seven people were later rescued. The investigation also revealed that the building did not have adequate ventilation and there were no emergency exits. According to sources, due to these deficiencies, smoke spread rapidly throughout the building, trapping people inside and significantly hampering efforts to rescue them. (ANI)
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