Rajkot Police Commissioner, Municipal Chief Transferred After Gaming Zone Fire Tragedy

Rajkot: In the wake of a devastating fire at a gaming zone in Rajkot that claimed 28 lives, including 9 children, the Gujarat government has transferred six Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, including the Rajkot Police Commissioner.

Raju Bhargava, the former Rajkot Police Commissioner, has been replaced by Brijesh Kumar Jha. The transfers also affected senior officials within the Rajkot City Police Department and the Rajkot Municipal Corporation.

These high-profile transfers come after the Gujarat High Court sharply criticized the Rajkot Municipal Corporation and the state government. The court questioned how such a large structure could be built without proper oversight.

The court demanded individual affidavits from all Rajkot municipal commissioners who served since the TRP game zone’s establishment in 2021. The court expressed a lack of faith in the state’s ability to proactively address safety concerns.

Earlier on the same day, the Gujarat government had suspended seven officials linked to the fire tragedy. These suspensions included personnel from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s town planning department, the Rajkot Roads and Buildings department, and the police department.

The state government announced a relief of Rs 4 lakh to the families of each deceased, while the Central government provided an additional Rs 2 lakh per victim’s family.