Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Jan 17: Raghuvir Bagkar, the former panchayat secretary of Arpora in Goa, was arrested on Friday in connection with the tragic Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub fire that claimed 25 lives last month. Bagkar, who had been removed from service following the incident, was taken into custody after a magistrate rejected his anticipatory bail plea.

Bagkar is a key person of interest in the ongoing investigation. A magisterial inquiry ordered by the Goa government had already highlighted forgery, trade licence violations, and illegal construction as major contributors to the deadly blaze. The probe revealed that Bagkar allowed the nightclub to operate despite its trade licence having expired—a critical lapse flagged following an India Today expose on the issuance and renewal of the licence.

The committee further found that the trade licence approval bypassed mandatory procedures, with inadequate verification of documents submitted by the club’s owners, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra. Bagkar, in his capacity as panchayat secretary, also approved land use for the nightclub using a fictitious house number that did not exist, allowing the operators to evade checks meant to verify the premises’ legitimacy.

Additionally, the inquiry noted that nearby shops and tenements were constructed illegally on salt pan land, a protected area, in violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms, and that Bagkar allegedly permitted these developments.

Several arrests have already been made in connection with the fire, including that of the Luthra brothers. The duo fled India for Phuket, Thailand, immediately after the tragedy but were later detained for overstaying. Their passports were suspended by Indian authorities, and they were deported and formally arrested by Goa Police upon arrival in New Delhi.

The investigation into the Birch nightclub fire remains ongoing, with authorities focusing on accountability for administrative lapses and violations that contributed to the catastrophe.