Birch-Goa fire: Govt dismisses Arpora sarpanch, panchayat secretary; cites negligence in granting approvals, licences

PANAJI: The Goa government has dismissed Arpora village panchayat sarpanch Roshan Redkar and panchayat secretary of Arpora-Nagoa village panchayat, Raghuvir Bagkar, from service, finding “persistent negligence” in the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ fire case, which claimed the lives of 25 individuals.

The Directorate of Panchayats, based on the magisterial inquiry committee report on the nightclub mishap, noted that the sarpanch “presided over meetings where the irregularities of the subject premises were either ignored or tacitly approved”. The report said that the Birch establishment was initially operated in a temporary shed and was converted into a nightclub “without any conversion sanad or approved building plans”.

The directorate termed it as “persistent negligence” and “a breach of the public trust” that resulted in the fire. Raising a question on the people in positions of authority, the directorate order said, “What will happen if the protectors themselves become poachers?”

The committee also mentioned that the panchayat secretary gave the House Number without ground verification stating, “in case the House Number allocation is legal, then I don’t go for inspection”, but he contradicted himself and later said, “I give house numbers by verifying the structures is existing on grounds without checking its documents, like construction licence, approved plans, etc”.

The committee noted “grave irregularities” by the village panchayat in granting the requisite approvals and licences. A fire tragedy occurred at the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub in which 25 people died, and several others were injured on December 6.

On Monday, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that officials responsible for granting permission to the Luthra brothers, Gaurav and Saurav Luthra, to operate the nightclub have been issued a show-cause notice.

Pramod Sawant said, “I have given instructions to all Heads of Departments that all the officials connected to giving permission to the nightclub, all of them have been given a show cause notice, and if anyone is found guilty, they will be punished.”

Meanwhile, a Goa court on Monday sent the Luthra brothers — Gaurav and Saurav Luthra — to judicial custody until January 9, 2026. (ANI)