The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Saturday issued a notice to the Gujarat government, seeking a report on the fire accident in Surat in which 22 students were killed.
Twenty-two persons, mostly students aged between 15 and 19 years, lost their lives when the tuition class in Takshashila Arcade in Sarthana in Surat was gutted on Friday. Out of the 22, at least five died as they jumped to “safety”. The rest died due to burn injuries on the spot.
The fire is supposed to have resulted due to short circuit. The spark soon turned into a wild fire as the staircase was made up of wood and in the class there were materials that could easily catch fire.
Majority of the bodies were so disfigured that the families had to identify their loved ones based on watches and jewelry they had worn.
Taking suo moto cognizance of media reports, the NHRC has issued a notice to the chief secretary of Gujarat calling for a detailed report, including the criminal cases registered against the building owners and others.
The Gujarat government will also have to reply about the fire safety measures taken, fire safety clearance and relief given to the families of those killed in the accident. The report has to be submitted within four weeks.
The commission has taken serious note of the fact that there was no safe passage for the victims.
Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said one of the owners of the tuition class has been arrested. Three persons have been charged with culpable homicide.
A senior IAS officer is conducting an inquiry and the report will be submitted in three days.
According to sources, two floors, including where the tuition class was located, did not have the required building permission.
Rushit Vekariya, 17, one of the many students who jumped from the building, was lucky to survive. Undergoing treatment at a local hospital, he told a section of media that initially they saw smoke and thought that someone had burnt plastic on the ground floor. Soon smoke engulfed the classroom, and the students were suffocated and could hardly see each other, he said.
Vekariya said the fire brigade did not have a longer staircase through which they could reach them. There was no emergency exit as well.
More than 15 fire tenders were deployed. By the time fire tenders having elevated platforms reached the spot after 40 minutes of the incident, it was all over.
Gujarat government has announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of the deceased. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani reached Surat on Friday and met the victims in the hospital. Opposition leader in the state assembly, Paresh Dhanani, met the victims on Saturday.
Surat deputy chief fire officer S.K. Acharya and fire officer Kirti Modh have been suspended with immediate effect over the accident.
Meanwhile, there has been crackdown on tuition classes across the state. Orders have been issued to not to open tuition classes that do not have fire safety facilities. In Surat, 18 classes were sealed and more than 180 given notices.
