Rajkot game zone co-owner confirmed dead in fire mishap, body identified: Police

Prakash Hiran, one of the owners of the TRP Game Zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot, was also one of the main accused in the incident

Prakash Hiran, one of the owners of the TRP Game Zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot, has been confirmed dead in the fire that broke out in the facility on Saturday that claimed 28 lives, including several children.

A police team visits the Rajkot game zone site on Tuesday where at least 28 people were killed in a fire on Saturday. (PTI)

The identification was made through DNA testing, which matched samples from the remains found at the scene with those of Prakash Hiran’s mother. Hiran was also one of the main accused in the incident.

A senior police official said that Hiran’s body was handed over to his family early this morning after the conclusive identification process. “Prakash Hiran was the principal shareholder in the TRP Game Zone, holding more than 50% equity stake. His family accepted his body today morning,” the official added.

The incident came to light when Prakash’s brother, Jitendra Hiran, filed a petition with the police reporting his brother’s disappearance after the fire. In his complaint, Jitendra said, “After the fire, there had been no contact with Prakash, all phone numbers were switched off, and Prakash’s car was found at the site of the fire.”

CCTV footage from the time of the fire further corroborated Prakash Hiran’s presence at the gaming centre during the tragic event.

“Till Tuesday evening, about 24 bodies were identified after DNA testing and matching,” the official said.

The TRP Game Zone is in Rajkot’s Nana-Mava locality. The fire is believed to have been caused by welding work being carried out at the facility, which lacked a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department and had only one entry-exit point, trapping many visitors inside. Several liters of petrol and diesel were stored in the zone, exacerbating the situation.

In a state-wide crackdown, the government has sealed 20 gaming zones across eight municipal corporation areas for lacking the necessary authorisations. An additional 80 gaming zones have been “temporarily closed down” as authorities could not ascertain with absolute certainty their adherence to safety protocols for citizens.

A first information report (FIR) was lodged at Rajkot taluka police station against Hiran and five others under Indian Penal Code sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 337 (causing hurt by an act that endangers life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt to a person by doing an act that endangers their life or personal safety).