The day after being held in Thailand, the Luthra brothers, Gaurav and Saurabh, expressed fears of being “lynched in Goa” in their bail application. The duo faced charges of murder among other offences in connection with the deadly fire incident that took 25 lives at their nightclub, Birch by Romeo Lane, in North Goa’s Arpora village last Saturday.
Owners of the Romeo Lane chain of pubs, Luthras, also stated that bulldozer action against their other properties in Goa after the fire tragedy was proof that they could be treated unfairly by the authorities.
“There is a direct threat to my safety. I will be lynched in Goa. My other restaurants have been bulldozed straight away…We will join the investigation…I shall be prosecuted but not persecuted,” argued one of the brothers, through their lawyer, The Hindustan Times reported.
Luthras claim this in their anticipatory bail plea before the court in Rohini, Delhi, which was rejected on Thursday.
Senior advocate Tanvir Ahmed appeared on behalf of the Luthra brothers and submitted that, as per the FIR, the incident that occurred was due to negligence and was not homicidal. The counsel argued that there was a threat to the applicant’s family.
He further said that the applicants are before the court to protect life, and that a man before the court is not an absconder. The counsel said that the perception of innocence exists under the law, and the accused are not convicts.
After Luthra brothers were detained in Thailand, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reaffirmed that strict action will be taken against them, asserting that the government is committed to securing justice for the 25 people who lost their lives in the tragedy.
“We will bring them to Goa as soon as possible. Teams of the Goa Police and the CBI will go there (to Thailand). Henceforth, any violation and encroachment will not be tolerated. Two suspended women government officers are cooperating with the investigation, while one is not; action will be taken accordingly… To ensure such an accident doesn’t occur again, Both have been detained in Thailand after they fled from the nation just hours after the fire,” Sawant said, ANI reported.
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