Four officials have been suspended in connection with the fire tragedy in Lucknow that claimed 15 lives on Monday afternoon.
On the directions of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, the suspended officials are Gaurav Kumar (Executive Engineer, Electricity Department), Kamlendra Kumar Singh (FSSO, Fire Department, Indira Nagar), Anil Kumar (Assistant Engineer, LDA), and Pramod Kumar (Junior Engineer, LDA), the state government said.
In a separate development, four people have been arrested. Officials said they are joint owners of the building where the incident occurred.
An FIR has been registered at Aliganj police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Act against six named accused and others.
Authorities alleged that the building, approved for residential use, was being illegally used for commercial activities. Aliganj ACP Shashi Prakash Mishra said the matter is under investigation, and action will follow based on findings.
The fire broke out in a three-storey commercial building in Aliganj, north Lucknow, which housed an animation centre, a pet shop, and a clinic. Most of the victims were trapped on the second floor, where students were attending classes.
Eyewitnesses said several people jumped from the building as it was engulfed in flames. Preliminary findings suggest the fire may have started in an air-conditioning duct, with thick smoke leading to suffocation due to the lack of proper exit routes, Uttar Pradesh Urban Development and Energy Minister A.K. Sharma said, adding that possible violations of building norms will be probed.
Coaching centres sealed
District magistrates are now conducting special drives in their respective districts to identify institutions operating without registration and ensure effective compliance with the provisions of the Act.
“All district magistrates have been directed to conduct a comprehensive survey of all coaching institutes operating in their respective districts and prepare a list. Strict action, as per rules, is being ensured against institutions that are not registered under the Uttar Pradesh Coaching Regulation Act, 2002,” Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay said.
The crackdown gathered pace on Tuesday, with authorities in several districts issuing notices and sealing institutions that were found to be violating safety norms.
In Prayagraj, four coaching institutes, including Khan Global Studies, were sealed for allegedly failing to comply with prescribed standards. Officials said around 50 coaching institutes had been identified for similar action.
The enforcement wing of the Kanpur Development Authority and fire department officials began inspections of coaching institutes from Monday evening. By Tuesday evening, more than 30 institutes in Kakadeo, the city’s largest educational hub, had been sealed. All were found violating safety norms.
The most serious violations were found in building basements, which had been approved only for parking but were illegally converted into classrooms that accommodated hundreds of students.
Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said the city had intensified its “Safe Institutions, Safe Kanpur” campaign to ensure compliance with fire and public safety regulations. Authorities in Moradabad and Amroha launched special drives against institutions operating without mandatory fire safety clearances. Officials said that several coaching institutes were found functioning without valid fire no-objection certificates (NOCs).
Six coaching centres and four libraries were sealed by officials in Mathura on Tuesday. Similar inspection drives were also launched in Varanasi, Meerut, Mirzapur, and other districts, with officials warning of strict action, including the sealing of premises, the disconnection of utilities, and prosecution in cases of non-compliance.
The fire tragedy in Lucknow has prompted the state government to initiate a broader review of illegal buildings, basement establishments and multi-storey structures housing coaching centres, hotels, hospitals and gyms.
