Goa landowner alleges zone change aided nightclub fire tragedy
Goa landowner alleges zone change aided nightclub fire tragedy
Claim alleges government reclassified land from salt pan to settlement without notice amid Goa nightclub tragedy; investigations continue.
Arpora, Goa — The fire that tore through the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub on December 6, 2025, killing 25 people, has sparked a new line of inquiry beyond the tragedy itself. In the courtroom and in documents, a long-running land dispute has resurfaced as a potential factor connected to the club’s fate. Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar, who says he is the original owner of the land where the club stood, has alleged that a portion of his property was secretly converted from a salt pan to a settlement zone without his knowledge. He claims he signed a sale agreement with Surinder Kumar Khosla in 2004, but the deal was withdrawn within six months because payment never came. Khosla later established the nightclub on that site, which was subsequently taken over by Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of Birch by Romeo Lane. Amonkar says he discovered the zone change on December 11, 2025, while preparing documents to file a High Court move against the club in connection with the fire tragedy. A senior Goa Town and Country Planning official noted that an inquiry is underway and did not respond to the allegations at this stage. The discovery fuels questions about how land-use changes may influence complex legal battles tied to a deadly incident.
Cover image source: Goa nightclub ‘co-owner’ Ajay Gupta sent to 7-day police custody 🔗
