Rajkot gaming zone fire: Civic chief, police commissioner and two other IPS officers transferred

In the aftermath of a tragic fire that claimed the lives of 27 individuals at a gaming zone in Rajkot, Gujarat, the state government took decisive action on Monday. They announced the transfer of key officials, including the city's Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava, Additional Commissioner of Police Vidhi Choudhary, and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-2) Sudhirkumar Desai, without immediate reassignments, according to a notification from the state home department.

Additionally, Rajkot Municipal Commissioner Anand Patel, an IAS officer, was also transferred from his position.

To fill the void, the government appointed Brajesh Kumar Jha, currently serving as the Special Commissioner of Police, Sector-2 in Ahmedabad, as the new Police Commissioner for Rajkot.

Mahendra Bagria, currently serving as the Deputy Inspector General of Police for Kutch-Bhuj (West), will assume the role of Rajkot's new Additional Commissioner of Police. Meanwhile, Jagdish Bangarwa, Superintendent of Central Prison in Vadodara, has been appointed as the new Deputy Commissioner of Police for Rajkot.

Also read: Rajkot gaming zone fire: CCTV footage shows how blaze began (WATCH)

The government has placed Rajkot's civic chief, Anand Patel, at the disposal of the General Administrative Department for further orders, as per a notification from the GAD.

Taking Patel's place is DP Desai, who presently holds the position of Chief Executive Officer at Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) and additionally serves as CEO of Gandhinagar Urban Development Authority (GUDA).

In a notification issued by the GAD, Bhavya Verma, Mission Director of Swachh Bharat Mission in Gandhinagar, will now also hold the additional responsibilities of CEO for both AUDA and GUDA.

Earlier today, the Gujarat High Court expressed severe criticism towards the government, stating a lack of faith in the state machinery, which seemingly only takes action after tragic incidents. This rebuke was in response to alleged lapses in the functioning of the TRP Game Zone, where a devastating fire claimed the lives of 27 individuals on May 25.

During proceedings, the court questioned whether the civic body had overlooked the construction of such a large structure in its vicinity, especially considering the recreation center had reportedly not obtained the necessary permissions.