The Mahankali police in Secunderabad have charged Swapnalok Complex Association, Kedia Infotech Ltd, Vikas Paper Packing Ltd and QNet Vihaan Direct Selling Pvt Ltd for culpable homicide after the fire on Thursday, March 17, that killed six people. The people who died and were injured in the fire were working in these companies. According to the Times of India, the case was registered under Section 304 (ii) (punishment for culpable homicide) 324 (voluntary hurt caused by fire) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 9 (b) of the Explosives Act.
According to Telangana Today, the supervisor of the Swapnalok Complex, P Srinivas, filed a complaint against the aforementioned parties based on which the case was registered. Telangana Today also reported that when Fire Department Director General (DG) Y Nagi Reddy visited the site of the accident, he stated that it was evident that the fire was caused due to negligence. He added that the fire safety equipment was present but not functional. Similarly, water was available in the building but the pump used to spray it was not working. Meanwhile, preliminary investigation also revealed that an electrical short circuit led to the fire.
Telangana’s Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav told the media that the Swapnalok Complex would be seized due to the lack of safety measures, which led to the fire accident.
On March 17, a fire broke out in the popular Swapnalok Complex at 7:30 pm and around 12 people were rescued by fire officials from the spot and outside the building. Six people, including one woman, lost their lives in the fire. The six people who were rescued from inside the building were rushed to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad but were declared dead on arrival.