On Thursday, Delhi's Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited Max Hospital in Saket to meet with victims injured in the Malviya Nagar fire. This visit occurred a day after a devastating blaze broke out in a hotel allegedly operating without a valid fire safety clearance in a narrow lane of Malviya Nagar, South Delhi. Following the incident, which resulted in the loss of 21 lives and left many injured, the Chief Minister requested a detailed report from the district magistrate of South Delhi.

Despite ordering a thorough investigation into the fire, the Chief Minister faced criticism from opposition parties for not being present at the disaster site on Wednesday. While some opposition leaders visited the scene, Gupta was notably absent. Saurabh Bhardwaj, head of the Aam Aadmi Party's Delhi unit, expressed his discontent on social media, highlighting the loss of innocent lives and criticizing the government's response time in firefighting efforts.

In a post on platform X, Bhardwaj stated that the tragic fire claimed 21 innocent lives, and eyewitnesses once again blamed the Delhi government for the delay in fire services. He emphasized that the city is in shock, anger, and mourning, yet the Chief Minister failed to show her face at the site, meet with any victim families, and only issued superficial statements from her luxurious residence.

The criticism arose after the Chief Minister expressed her sorrow over the loss of life and requested a comprehensive report on the circumstances surrounding the fire from District Magistrate Lakshya Singhal. Gupta assured that strict action would be taken against anyone found negligent in contributing to this tragedy. She also promised all possible assistance to the victims and their families.