Surat fire: Former CM Shankersinh Vaghela seeks resignation of Mayor, Police Commissioner

Surat (Gujarat) [India], May 26 (ANI): Former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela on Sunday sought the resignation of Mayor Jagdish Patel and Police Commissioner Satish Sharma in the wake of the coaching centre blaze which claimed the lives of 20 people, mostly students.
Speaking to ANI, Vaghela said, "The mayor and municipal commissioner should resign on moral grounds."
"It was a man-made disaster. Who gave necessary permission to the establishment? It is the moral duty of the concerned officers to follow the rules. Lives could have been saved if fire brigades had sufficient water in their tanks. This must be investigated," he added.
He further claimed that the best example of the corruption prevalent in the present government is the fire at Takshashila complex. "Government must strictly observe it. It must not be callously dealt with," he added.
A blaze ripped through the coaching centre in city's Sarthana area on Friday, killing as many as 20 people and injuring many others.

Several students were seen jumping off the building to escape the inferno. Some people were unable to escape and died on the spot. As the rescue operations were carried out, charred bodies were found.
The fire was reportedly triggered by a short circuit.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had on May 24 ordered an investigation and announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those killed. (ANI)