By IANS,
Kolkata : Noted industrialists S.K. Todi and R.S. Goenka and four other directors of the city’s AMRI hospital, where a fire broke out claiming 73 lives Friday, were arrested and booked for several non-bailable offences, police said. The hospital’s licence was also cancelled, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced.
“Six directors of the AMRI hospital have been arrested today in connection with the fire tragedy. Those arrested include S.K. Todi, R.S. Goenka and Ravi Todi. They have been bookes for several non-bailable offences, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Damayanti Sen told IANS.
S.K. Todi is the chairman of the Shrachi Group while R.S. Goenka is the chairman of the Emami Group. They had co-founded the hospital, located in the fairly upscale Dhakuria neighbourhood, in 1996 along with the West Bengal government.
Of the six people arrested, only S.K. Todi had surrendered at the police headquarters here, Sen said.
At least 70 patients and three staffers of the AMRI hospital were killed when a blaze started in the basement of the Annexe-1 building early Friday and toxic fumes quickly spread to the other floors, trapping hundreds of people.
“The licence of the hospital has already been cancelled. Once the rescue operation is over, the hospital will be sealed,” Banerjee said.
A high-powered committee headed by Sen has been formed to probe the incident.