Goa Night Club Fire: State on Path of Revenge, Fear Being Lynched in Goa .. Luthra Brothers Tell Court While Seeking Bail

The Luthra brothers — the owners of the Goa nightclub where the fire incident killed 25 people — have expressed their fear of being lynched and have pleaded not guilty in front of a Delhi court. They also said that they had to escape to Thailand because of the death threats on their social media accounts and that public outrage could even lead to their being lynched.

The brothers were taken into custody in Thailand that very day but claimed they were not running away from the law. They contended through their lawyer Tanveer Ahmed Mir that they were in Phuket for business reasons, specifically to open a new restaurant, not to flee from the investigation.

“Besides my properties being taken away, I could get lynched in Goa,” Mir repeated the words of the brothers, and he added that the state administration seemed to be acting out of “revenge”.

Fire at the Nightclub Very Shocking Goa

The incident happened on December 6 at Birch by Romeo Lane, a famous nightclub in North Goa's Arpora that the fire killed 25 people, including four tourists and 21 staff members. The Luthra brothers immediately went to Phuket after the fire tragic incident. They were subsequently located and arrested by the authorities after Interpol issued a Blue Corner Notice.

Police in Goa arrested co-owner of the nightclub and several staff members as the public outrage escalated. A beach hut owned by the brothers was also razed down on the grounds of illegal construction. The FIR states that the club was operating without the required licenses and permissions.

“WE DIDN'T RUN AWAY,” SAY LUTHRAS

The defense argued that the trip had already been planned.

“I had already informed my travel agent on December 6... I can give you the papers proving the setting up of a restaurant in Phuket where we hoped to hire Indians,” was the statement made by the brothers through their counsel.

They're asking for four weeks of arrest protection due to their medical conditions: Gaurav reportedly has a neurological disorder and Saurabh is epileptic.

The Goa Police denied these allegations, branded the medical grounds as “fake”, and added that the brothers had “not been to a doctor”.

The defense countered with, “A person suffering from epilepsy does not need to see the doctor every day. They want to put me on display and make a show of it.”

The court is now weighing their request while the investigation carries on.