DK Shivakumar further announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh for the families of the victims, all of whom were migrant workers from Rajasthan.
Published Aug 17, 2025 | 4:27 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 17, 2025 | 4:27 PM
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara at the site where the accident occurred.
Synopsis: The Bengaluru police arrested the owners of the commercial building in the Nagarpethe area where a fire killed five people. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar assured that strict action would be taken against violators of building norms.
The Bengaluru police on Sunday, 17 August, arrested owners of the commercial building in Nagarpethe area where a fire broke out early morning, killing five people.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, accompanied by Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, visited the site to assess the situation.
“We have arrested the owners of these buildings… No safety guidelines were followed by them. They constructed extra floors without any permission,” Singh told the media.
Shivakumar assured that strict action would be taken against violators of building norms. “If buildings do not comply with safety measures, we will demolish them. The situation is similar in Bombay as well. Firefighting vehicles cannot reach the site. Therefore, a warning has been issued to property owners to rectify their buildings,” he said.
Shivakumar further announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh for the families of the victims, all of whom were migrant workers from Rajasthan. “What has happened is extremely painful. Five precious lives have been lost. This cannot be allowed to happen again,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Home Minister G Parameshwara had said that the fire accident seemed to be caused due to an electrical short circuit.
Speaking to the media, he said the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) team has visited the site and collected samples. Once the report is available, the actual cause will be known. He assured that he will discuss with the Chief Minister about providing compensation to the victims’ families.
The fire broke out at around 3.15 am on Sunday, in Krishna Complex. The fire first started on the ground floor and then spread to the second and third floors.
Plastic items, rubber mats, and other materials had been stored in the building. Once the fire spread, it became impossible to move upwards. Madan, who died in the incident, had gone downstairs after locking his house on the upper floor; this made it impossible for him to escape. In total, five people died in the incident.
“This is an unfortunate tragedy. Such things should not happen. In small plots of land, buildings with four to five floors are being constructed. Thousands of such buildings exist in this locality,” Parameshwara said.
BBMP needs to take this matter seriously. Licenses for commercial activities are being given by the BBMP itself. We come to know about such irregularities only after accidents happen. In most cases, these buildings are functioning as godowns while people continue to live in them,” the minister said.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Anisha Reddy and Nolan Patrick Pinto.)
