13 priests and the caretaker detained for Bangalore high-rise fire

A fire broke out Monday afternoon on the terrace of a five-storey Gold Towers, a commercial complex on the busy Residency Road in the heart of Bangalore.There were no casualties in the blaze, which gutted a popular pub on the fifth floor of the building.Police said they have detained Mahesh Kumar Tayaland were searching for his elder brother Vijay Kumar Tayal, who owns the Gold Towers.


13 priests were detained as police believe a 'homa' (a fire ritual) conducted on the fifth floor caused the blaze.The ritual was organized by the night club, police said. According to DC Chengappa, director of state fire services, the building owners had not taken clearance from his department for occupying the premises. The pub owners too had not obtained fire safety clearance, he said.Fourteen fire tenders were deployed to douse the blaze as fire and police department did not want to take any chance in the wake of the Feb 23 fire in Carlton Towers,Bangalore.

Residency Road is one of the busy avenues in Bangalore central business district. Upscale hotels, commercial complexes and several sought after schools are in the area.13 priests and the caretaker were detained on charges of negligence. Priest, on condition of anonymity, said: “We were doing what we were called for. We had asked the owners if the room had enough open space for smoke. We started only after they assured us on that.”

The accused were booked under section 285 of IPC for negligence, a bailable offence.The accused were released on bail. The case will be heard on June 16.When the Ashoknagar police produced the accused in the ACMM court, the court served a show cause notice on the police asking why they were not granted bail when there was provision for the same.

• Source: expressbuzz.com