Mumbai's Garib Nagar fire was arson, accused related to people involved in Azad Maidan riots
At least six individuals accused of causing a fire in Bandra's Garib Nagar on Thursday are related to people who were involved in the 2012 Azad Maidan riots.
In Short
- The accused allegedly poured kerosene on roofs of huts
- One of them allegedly opened a gas cylinder and let it blow up
- One Shabbir Khan was arrested in connection with the incident
India Today has accessed exclusive information that at least six individuals accused of causing a fire in Bandra's Garib Nagar on Thursday are related to people who were involved in 2012 Azad Maidan riots.
The accused poured kerosene on roofs of huts. One of them allegedly opened a gas cylinder and let it blow up.
One Shabbir Khan, who was arrested in connection with the incident, was remanded to police custody for further investigation.
"We have evidence against Shabbir that he opened the gas cylinder and put it on fire. There are several other accused (who are) wanted in the case. More than ten people are involved in the case..." a police official said.
"The accused's family has a criminal background and they were involved in the Azad Maidan Riots of 2012," he said.
Police officials said the fire started in Garib Nagar's slums in east Bandra. Over a 100 huts were gutted.
ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION
The gas cylinder was opened after officials reached the area to demolish houses in compliance with the High Court's instructions. Most of the houses in the area have been built illegally, and locals had been informed of the demolition work in advance. On Thursday, they opposed the move.
The police managed to nab Shabbir, but several others, some of them women, are still at large
"Every six months, a fire takes place in that particular area. The idea behind fire is that once the houses are gutted in fire, the locals claim that all their documents are destroyed in the fire, and in the same place, several new illegal homes come up," a police official said.
Officials from the suburban Collector's Office carried out a survey of the losses on Saturday.
Each affected family will receive Rs 3,800 on humanitarian grounds.
This "is to help them purchase utensils or food supplies for eight days. We will complete the survey by Saturday and expect to disburse the cheques Monday," an official said.
WATCH | Mumbai: Massive fire breaks out near Bandra station