Fifteen people died in a fire at a three-storey building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area, turning scrutiny towards a 2016 demolition order that was withdrawn within weeks despite alleged unauthorised construction.
The blaze broke out on Monday afternoon at a building on Usha Mehta Marg that housed an animation training centre, a pet shop, a clinic and other commercial units. Most of the victims were students trapped on the upper floor, where smoke spread quickly through corridors and rooms before many could escape. Seven others were injured, with some hurt while jumping from the building and others affected by burns or smoke inhalation.
The Uttar Pradesh government has said the Lucknow Development Authority had ordered demolition of the structure in 2016 over unauthorised construction. That order was revoked less than two months later, a reversal now central to the investigation into how a building under regulatory scrutiny continued to operate for years with commercial activity in what officials say had residential approval.
Four people have been arrested in connection with the case. Police identified them as Ram Krishna Upadhyay, Virendra Prasad Shukla, Tushok Krishna Jaiswal and Suresh Kumar Sahu. A case has been registered at Aliganj police station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Act against named accused and others whose role may emerge during the inquiry.
The government has also suspended four officials after preliminary findings pointed to possible lapses in oversight. Those suspended include Gaurav Kumar of the electricity department, Kamlendra Kumar Singh from the fire department, and Anil Kumar and Pramod Kumar from the Lucknow Development Authority. The action came after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed senior officers to examine regulatory failures and submit findings.
A Special Investigation Team has been asked to examine the cause of the fire, the building’s approval status, fire-safety compliance, commercial use, responsibility of owners and possible inaction by officials. A separate internal inquiry by the development authority is expected to review how the 2016 demolition order was withdrawn and whether inspections were conducted after the structure began housing commercial establishments.
Preliminary assessments have indicated that the fire may have originated in or around an air-conditioning duct. Investigators are also examining whether blocked exits, poor ventilation, dense smoke and the absence of adequate emergency escape routes contributed to the high death toll. Firefighters and police personnel had to break through a rear wall to reach parts of the building after smoke made entry through the front difficult.
Eyewitnesses described panic as smoke engulfed the premises within minutes. Several people smashed windows and tried to climb out while bystanders and rescue teams attempted to pull trapped occupants to safety. Videos from the area showed people emerging from windows and emergency teams using ladders and tools to create access points. The building was badly gutted before the flames were brought under control.
The tragedy has exposed a wider pattern of unsafe commercial use in residential neighbourhoods, where coaching centres, clinics, shops and offices often operate in structures not designed for high occupancy. Such buildings frequently lack proper staircases, fire exits, smoke-management systems, extinguishers, electrical load checks and evacuation plans. The Aliganj case has renewed questions over whether enforcement agencies act only after fatalities, despite paper trails showing earlier violations.
Families of the deceased have been promised compensation, while injured people are receiving treatment at local hospitals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the deaths and announced ex-gratia support from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. The state government has separately announced financial assistance for the families of those killed and for the injured.
