Goa Fire: Thailand Moves To Deport Luthra Brothers Amid Zoning, Corruption Claims

Authorities in Thailand have begun the process of deporting Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the Goa nightclub where 25 people were killed in a fire on December 6, government sources said on Friday.

As the state police continue to investigate the tragedy, a local resident claiming to be the original owner of the land on which the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub stood alleged that the zoning of the saltpan land was “quietly” altered to benefit the club. Meanwhile, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal launched a sharp attack on the BJP government in Goa over alleged “corruption”, saying Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should apologise to the people over the fire incident.

Official sources in Delhi said the Indian embassy in Bangkok is in close coordination with Thai authorities to expedite the deportation of the Luthras. The brothers have been detained in Phuket following the embassy’s intervention.

“The Thai authorities are presently taking action as per local laws, including for sending the two individuals back to India,” one of the sources said.

The Luthras had left for Phuket shortly after the fire incident. A Delhi court on Wednesday refused to grant them interim protection from arrest, while their partner was taken into custody.

Goa Police have so far arrested five managers and staff members in connection with the fire, which broke out at the nightclub in Arpora, about 25 km from Panaji, around midnight on December 6. Police have also recorded statements from at least 50 people in the case, an official said.

Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar, who claims to be the original owner of the land on which the club was built, alleged that a portion of his property was converted from saltpan to settlement zone without his knowledge. He said he had signed a sale agreement with Surinder Kumar Khosla in 2004, but it was withdrawn within six months as he allegedly did not receive the payment. Khosla later set up a nightclub on the land, which was subsequently taken over by Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, Amonkar had earlier alleged.

While the case filed by him has been pending in court for 21 years, Amonkar said he discovered on Thursday that “the government quietly changed the zoning of my land without informing me”. He claimed that no notice was served to him regarding the change and questioned how saltpan land could be converted into a settlement zone.

A senior official from the Goa Town and Country Planning Department said that since an inquiry into the matter is under way, it would not be appropriate to comment at this stage.

Addressing a public meeting in Goa while campaigning for local body elections, Kejriwal said, “This is perhaps the most corrupt government, and the least the chief minister could do is to apologise to the people of Goa for Arpora incident and ensure safety in all the establishments.” He alleged that despite lacking several mandatory permissions, the nightclub continued to operate by paying “hafta”, or regular bribes, to government officials.

Meanwhile, the state BJP has sought explanations from two of its leaders for making allegations of corruption in the wake of the fire tragedy. MLA Michael Lobo and former tourism minister Dilip Parulekar had alleged widespread corruption along the beach belt, claiming it had led to illegalities in the tourism sector.

“I have heard the statement by both the leaders. I have sought clarification from them for making such statements,” BJP Goa president Damodar Naik told reporters in Panaji on Friday.