Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken swift and stringent action following the devastating fire at a coaching centre in Lucknow's Aliganj area that claimed 15 lives. Late Monday night, the state government ordered the arrest of four building owners, suspended four senior officials, and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.

The victims were primarily students attending an animation coaching institute operating on the second floor of the building in Sector D, Aliganj. Preliminary reports suggest that the blaze may have been triggered by an air-conditioner explosion. Four students who sustained injuries in the incident are reported to be out of danger.

Police have arrested four co-owners of the building — Ramakrishna Upadhyay, Virendra Prasad Shukla, Tushoka Krishna Jaiswal, and Suresh Kumar Sahu. An FIR has been registered at Aliganj Police Station under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Uttar Pradesh Fire Services Act against six accused and other individuals found responsible.

Acting on the Chief Minister's directions, the state government suspended Executive Engineer Gaurav Kumar of the Electricity Department, Fire Safety Station Officer (FSSO) Kamalendra Kumar Singh, Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) Assistant Engineer Anil Kumar, and Junior Engineer Pramod Pandey with immediate effect.

At the time of the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was addressing a public gathering in Aligarh. Upon receiving information about the fire, he immediately cancelled his scheduled engagements and left for Lucknow. Earlier, he had deputed senior officials, including Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, to oversee rescue and relief operations.

After arriving in Lucknow, the Chief Minister visited the accident site to review rescue efforts and later met the injured students at the KGMU Trauma Centre. He directed medical teams to ensure the best possible treatment for the victims.

The Chief Minister also announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of each deceased victim and Rs 50,000 for those injured in the tragedy.

A high-level meeting was subsequently held at the Chief Minister's residence, where a two-member Special Investigation Team was constituted. The SIT will be headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism and Culture) Amrit Abhijat and Additional Director General (ADG) of Police, Lucknow Zone, Praveen Kumar.

The investigation team has been directed to submit its report within seven days and identify officials responsible for any negligence or misconduct.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh BJP President Pankaj Choudhary also rushed from New Delhi to Lucknow late Monday night. They visited the fire site and later met the families of the deceased and injured students at the KGMU Trauma Centre.

The building at the centre of the tragedy has a controversial history. Originally allotted to Vijay Kumar in 1980, the property was transferred to Virendra and Surendra Shukla in 2013. Records indicate that the Lucknow Development Authority had ordered demolition of unauthorized constructions on the premises in May 2016. However, the demolition order was revoked less than two months later. The 1,992-square-foot structure had reportedly been approved only for residential use.

The SIT is expected to examine several crucial aspects, including the cancellation of the demolition order, the issuance of fire safety clearances, and the roles played by the LDA, Fire Department, and Electricity Department. Officials believe the probe could uncover serious irregularities and may lead to action against additional senior officers.