AAP's big claim in BnB fire, says MCD issued transfer orders for two dead, one suspended engineer after tragedy

AAP alleges administrative failures in MCD after transfer orders listed deceased, suspended engineers post-Hauz Rani fire. Calls for inquiry and accountability.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday alleged administrative lapses in the functioning of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), citing the transfers of two deceased engineers and a suspended engineer that were ordered in the aftermath of the Hauz Rani fire incident. The order, a copy of which was accessed by HT, was later withdrawn.

Firefighters and local residents rescue people from a building and shift them to nearby hospitals after a massive fire broke out at a bed-and-breakfast Restaurant and Hotel in the Malviya Nagar area in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (Hindustan Times)

Addressing a press conference, AAP’s leader of Opposition in the MCD, Ankush Narang, demanded an inquiry into the matter and sought action against officials responsible for issuing the order. He alleged laxity on the part of the government, questioning whether it sought to crack down on unauthorised constructions.

“The question is whether the Bharatiya Janata Party-run MCD is processing files without any verification. Is the additional deputy commissioner (engineering) not even aware of the status of employees in the department?” Narang said.

The MCD, mayor, chief minister’s office and Delhi BJP did not respond to requests for comment from HT.

The controversy centres around a transfer order, a copy of which was accessed by HT, issued by the MCD engineering department on June 5. According to Narang, the order included the name of junior engineer (JE) Apoorv Bhatnagar, who died seven months ago and JE Prateek, who died a few months ago. Besides, it also named JE Gaurav Garg, who has been under suspension for the past nine months, Narang pointed out.

“JE Prateek has been transferred to the buildings department, which is involved with checking the unauthorised construction across the city that the government ordered on Thursday following the Hauz Rani fire that killed 21 people,” he said.

He said the transfer order bore the signature of the additional deputy commissioner. “When transfer orders are being issued for deceased, suspended and non-serving employees, it reflects the state of the administrative system,” he said.

Narang said an inquiry should be conducted to determine how the names were included in the list and who was responsible for approving the order. “It should be determined which officer included the names of deceased employees in the list. Departmental action should be taken against the responsible officials,” he said.

The MCD did not issue a response to the allegations until the time of publication. The civic body also did not immediately comment on the circumstances under which the names of the deceased and suspended employees were included in the transfer order.