Kamala Mills night-out spot 1 Above points fingers at neighbours Mojo's Bistro; says it's owned by 'influential people' and so, cops are not taking action; witnesses under pressure to retract statement
On Saturday, the representative of 1 Above issued a statement saying that they have written (through e-mails) to departments concerned in the Mumbai police, BMC and ministries in state and central governments in order to bring the facts on record. In the (forwarded copy) emails to the authorities, 1 Above stated that all facts are not being properly published by police.
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A picture provided by 1 Above to prove they didn't start the fire
They stated that the likelihood of evidence being destroyed or circumvented to corner and trap them in the incident -- the fire that started on Thursday night killing 14 people -- had not occurred due to their negligence, but due to that of the owners of Mojo's Bistro. The fire, the email says, occurred at Mojo's.
Also read: Kamala Mills Fire: Across Road From Tragedy Spot Is Another Disaster-In-Waiting
1 Above said that all mandatory permissions were taken and there were sufficient fire extinguishers on their premises and there were no gas cylinders outside the kitchen. "It is abundantly clear that when the fire broke out, it did not emanate from our premises, as in between the two premises there is a dividing brick wall. Had the fire emanated from 1 Above and spread to Mojo's Bistro, the same would have been burnt and destroyed first and guests would not have come to 1 Above from Mojo's. This is evident from a photograph/videograph which has been taken by alert Mumbaikars," 1 Above stated.
The fire, therefore, according to this argument started at Mojo's and spread to 1 Above. "There is, in fact, no exit from Mojo's Bistro and therefore the crowd from Mojo's ran into our premises, but some unfortunately went into the bathroom and suffocated because of the smoke, not due to the fire. How are we to be blamed for this?"
The email further states that owners of Mojo's Bistro, liable to be prosecuted, who committed negligence, are Yug Pathak, Siddharath Mahadevan. "They are the ones who are trying to portray that the fire started at 1 Above. Pathak is the son of KK Pathak, who was a high-ranking police officer, and we are not getting justice from the police station, the Police are managed." (sic)
Also read: Mumbai: Owners Of Kamala Mills Nightspot Where Fire Occurred On The Run
The representatives are asking for a CBI probe for an unbiased investigation. 1 Above stated that it had complied with all fire safety norms and had been given an NOC dated 23/12/2017. "We also have an emergency fire exit which was used for removing 400 guests (our guests and guests of Mojo's). It is incorrect that our fire exit was blocked. In fact, we were helping and guiding guests to use the exit till the last minute."
To allegations that the owners had gone absconding, the email said, "We are not absconding However, the investigation is on a wrong and incorrect track, which needs to be corrected by an independent agency. We are being portrayed as murderers when we are in fact victims." The statement added that several eyewitnesses who'd confirm that the fire started at Mojo's are being threatened to change their statement.
A source close to Mojo's said, "The FIR that has been lodged is a Civil FIR, that is MRTP (Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning), which is something that nearly every place within the premises of Kamala Mills have been subjected to. That's because for even the slightest change you make to the premises of your restaurant or office, you need permission from the BMC. Our lawyers are still formulating a statement."
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