A day after four persons were killed in a fire that broke out in a hotel in Hazratganj area of Lucknow, police on Tuesday arrested the owners – Rohit Agarwal and his cousin Rahul Agarwal— and the manager — Sagar Srivastava — of Levana Suites. Rohit Agarwal's father, Pavan, who too has been booked, has not been arrested. The four have been booked under IPC sections 304 (causing death by negligence) and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide). “The three were arrested after questioning. They were produced before a local court which sent them to judicial custody. The role of other persons is being probed. Action will be taken against those who will be found guilty during the investigation," Joint Commissioner of Police (Lucknow) Piyush Mordia said. As per the FIR, the owner, manager and other staff of the hotel did not make proper arrangements for the exit of people in an untoward situation. The power connection of the building was done in an “irresponsible manner” and there was no secure arrangement for keeping gas cylinders, the FIR stated. “Since there were iron grilles at the facade of the hotel building, people got trapped inside. The firefighters had to cut through the iron grilles to enter the building to rescue people,” the FIR added. Rohit and Rahul Agarwal – both in their 40s – hail from a family involved in the construction business. In 2017, the family entered the hotel business. They have constructed commercial buildings in Hazratganj and Gomti Nagar areas of the state Capital.
