Investigators probing the deadly midnight fire at Birch by Romeo Lane in Goa have turned their focus to the club’s owner, after early findings pointed to serious lapses in safety norms and questions over the legality of the structure itself.
The nightclub, built in the backwaters of the Arpora river, is alleged to have been operating without proper construction permissions.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the fire, which killed 25 people. He said an FIR has been lodged against the nightclub’s owner and general manager, and that arrests would follow. The FIR, however, does not name the accused.
According to the local panchayat chief, the club was run by restaurateur Saurabh Luthra. A LinkedIn profile under his name lists him as chairman of Romeo Lane, Birch and Mama’s Buoi. The Romeo Lane chain operates upscale bars and restaurants across several Indian cities and abroad.
The Romeo Lane website describes Luthra as a gold-medallist engineer who became one of the “fastest-growing restaurateurs” in the country, with multiple awards to his credit since 2016. He has not yet responded publicly, and police have been unable to arrest the unnamed owner so far.
Police initially said the fire was triggered by a cylinder blast shortly after midnight on Sunday. Eyewitnesses, however, claimed it began on the club’s first floor, where around 100 tourists were reportedly on the dance floor.
Arpora village sarpanch Roshan Redkar told Hindustan Times that the club was built without a construction licence and was already facing disputes. “There were complaints against the establishment. During our inquiry, we found there was no construction licence. A demolition notice was issued, but it was later stayed on appeal,” he said.
The establishment stood on what was once a saltpan, an eco-sensitive area, and the site falls under the Coastal Regulation Zone, where construction in the intertidal zone is banned. The nightclub’s remote riverside location also complicated rescue efforts. Fire brigades could not reach the structure due to narrow access lanes and had to park nearly 400 metres away, delaying the response.
As the investigation continues, questions are mounting over how the club continued to operate despite regulatory violations, disputed ownership and restricted access.
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