Two owners, general manager arrested hours after fire at Lucknow hotel

Fire fighters and State Disaster Response Team (SDRF) members carry out rescue operations, several people staying in the hotel saved

LUCKNOW The owners of Levana Suites – Rahul and Rohit Agarwal, along with hotel manager Sagar Srivastava – were arrested after an FIR was lodged against them under IPC sections 304 (for causing death due to negligent act) and 308 (for risking people’s lives with their act). Rohit’s father Pawan Agarwal was also named in the FIR, said police.

Firefighters using a ventilation pipe to rescue people during fire at the hotel in Lucknow on Monday. (Deepak Gupta/HT Photo)

During a press conference, joint commissioner of police (law and order) Piyush Mordiya confirmed four deaths and stated that the two hotel owners and general manager were questioned about the lapses that led to the fire incident.

Fire fighters and the State Disaster Response Team (SDRF) members carried out rescue operations and several people staying in the hotel were rescued.

To query about the two missing people, the JCP said in all likelihood, the duo would have escaped from the rear side exit of the hotel as there are very thin chances of anybody being left behind in the hotel. The police were trying to track their locations through electronic surveillance, he added.

Earlier, the press note from DM’s office had stated that two persons – Naina Tewari (staying in room number 314) and Ujjwal Mishra (in room number 208) – were reported missing after the incident.