Rajkot park fire: Opposition slams govt over ‘negligence’

In a video statement, Gujarat Congress chief and Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil said, “Children have been burnt to ashes… it is being said that the bodies cannot be identified… DNA testing may be required. Be it Morbi bridge (collapse in 2022), Palanpur bridge (incident last year) , Vadodara boat capsize (in January), fire at a Surat building (in 2019) — if this can’t be called negligence then what can be?”

“The BJP has 156 seats (in the Gujarat Assembly)… are they not accountable? The High Court has repeatedly told the government to make complete arrangements for fire safety. No amount of compensation can bring back a person. What is the administration doing? The BJP is in the corporation, in the state, in the Centre, so is it not their responsibility?” he asked.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed the incident as “painful”. “I convey my condolences to all the grieving families. I hope that all those injured recover fast,” he wrote in a post on X.

Gandhi also appealed to the party workers to help the administration in the rescue operations. “I appeal to the party workers to help the rescue operations in all possible manner. I also expect the state government and administration to ensure justice for the affected families with a detailed and impartial probe,” he said.

Calling the incident “extremely tragic”, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said on X: “I express my sympathies with those who have lost their loved ones in the incident. May god give courage to all the affected families and help those who have been injured recover fast.”

Gadhvi demanded an SIT probe, headed by a retired judge into the incident. In a video statement, he highlighted the recent mishaps in the state such as the 2019 Surat fire that killed 22 children, the Morbi bridge collapse that killed 134 people, and the Harni lake boat capsize, which killed 14 people, including 12 children, earlier this year.