Lucknow fire: 4 arrested after blaze kills 15 people; accused owners of building

Mangalore Today News Network

Lucknow, Jun 23, 2026: Four people have been arrested in connection with the fire at a commercial building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area that claimed the lives of 15 people, police said on Monday night.

According to police, the arrested individuals are among the joint owners of the building where the fire broke out on Monday afternoon.

An FIR has been registered at the Aliganj police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Act against six named persons and others.

The arrested accused have been identified as Ram Krishna Upadhyay (43), a resident of Sector-D, Aliganj; Virendra Prasad Shukla (62) from the Sitapur Road area; Tushar Krishna Jaiswal (31) of Balaganj; and Suresh Kumar Sahu, a resident of Keshavnagar in Lucknow.

The case has been registered under BNS Sections 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), and 125 (rash or negligent act endangering human life), along with provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Act.

Police said the building had been approved for residential use but was allegedly being used illegally for commercial purposes.

Aliganj Assistant Commissioner of Police Shashi Prakash Mishra said the allegations are being thoroughly investigated and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings.

The fire erupted in the three-storey building on Monday afternoon. The premises housed an animation training centre, where several students were present at the time of the incident, along with a pet shop and a clinic on the lower floors.

Fifteen people lost their lives in the blaze, while several others sustained injuries. Further legal proceedings are underway, police added.