Goa nightclub: Victims' kin seek fast track trial; 'staff threw water from wine glasses when blaze raged'

Panaji, Dec 30 (PTI) The staff at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa tried to control a massive blaze on the night of December 6 by throwing water from wine glasses and bottles in the absence of fire extinguishers, recalled Bhavna Joshi, who lost four members of her family in the tragedy.

Battling emotional trauma and anger over the alleged apathy of the nightclub management, the kin of some of the 25 victims have demanded that the investigation and trial be fast-tracked.

"I have seen my family members suffocating to death in the fire. What was their fault? You cannot imagine what it is like to retrieve four bodies of your family members from a fire,” Joshi told reporters outside the Mapusa court on Tuesday, her voice choking with emotion.

She lost her husband and three sisters in the fire, believed to be caused by fireworks during a performance. Officials had said that narrow exit routes increased the number of fatalities on the fateful night.

"The incident occurred just 15 minutes after we entered the nightclub. My husband was busy calming down the people when the fire occurred. I survived because I was pushed out by people rushing outside the nightclub. I tried to go back to search for my family, but they stopped me," said Joshi, a resident of New Delhi.

She alleged the nightclub management didn't do anything to extinguish the fire.

"There were no extinguishers. They were throwing water to control the blaze with the help of wine glasses and later with bottles," she said.

We come from a middle-class background. We had saved for this Goa trip. The tragedy left us shattered. We are in a crisis and enduring financial trouble, Joshi added.

A family member accompanying Joshi said they visited Goa on two occasions this month to follow up on the probe.

He said a lawyer, who is their well-wisher, has volunteered to fight this case without charging any fee.

Vikas Munda, originally from Jharkhand, lost his brother in the fire tragedy.

"We want justice for our family members. The accused should not be spared," he told reporters outside the court.

Goa Police so far arrested eight persons, including three owners of the nightclub, while another owner, Surinder Khosla, is yet to be held.

The Mapusa court on December 26 extended the police custody of the owner-brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra.

The siblings had fled to Thailand just hours after the tragedy that occurred in Arpora village. They were deported to India on December 17. PTI RPS NSK