Goa nightclub fire: Arpora sarpanch disqualified, then panchayat secretary sacked from government service

The sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa village was disqualified and the then secretary of the local panchayat was removed from his post by the Goa government on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, after he was indicted in a magistrate inquiry committee report into a nightclub fire that killed 25 people.

Panchayat Director Mahadev Araundekar, in two separate orders, disqualified Arpora-Nagoa sarpanch Roshan Redkar and suspended the then panchayat secretary Raghuvir Bagkar from government service.

Based on the findings of the magistrate’s investigation report released earlier in the day, Araundekar described Redkar’s behavior as “persistent dereliction of duty”.

The order, passed under Article 50(5) of the Goa Panchayati Raj Act, stated, “Violation of public trust resulted in a disaster that led to the death of 25 people.”

Mr. Redkar was stripped of his membership in the panchayat and disqualified from holding any office in the panchayat for five years.

The order for the removal of the then secretary of Arpora-Nagoa panchayat, Raghuvir Bagkar, stated that while the demolition decision of the controversial nightclub was being appealed before the Panchayat Directorate, the (then) secretary was not present during the hearing and as a result, the demolition order was postponed.

Mr. Bagkar was earlier suspended along with Sharmila Monteiro (then Secretary of Goa State Pollution Control Board) and Siddhi Halarnkar (then Panchayat Director).

According to the forensic investigation report made public, the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, which killed 25 people in a devastating fire in the first week of December, was located in the middle of the salt pan and was operating without a valid trading licence.

Earlier in the day, two officers of the Goa State Pollution Control Board were suspended in connection with the nightclub fire tragedy.