Two months after Birch inferno, Goa CM pulls up officers for lapses

Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant pulled up state govt officers, including IPS and IAS, for not taking precautionary steps at nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane, where 25 people lost their lives on Dec 6, 2025.

Sawant said that the incident could have been avoided if the officers took steps, as they were aware of the irregularities at the nightclub. He said that if there was no proper coordination among the departments, then such incidents could repeat in the state.


The CM hit out at state govt officers at a state-level conference to disseminate the outcome of the DGs and IGPs Conference 2025, chaired by PM Narendra Modi.

He said that in big states, if an incident happened in any district, nobody was aware in other districts, but in Goa the incident spread like fire through the media and other means, and it became national and global news.

“It is important to focus on awareness of crime control and internal security, as incidents make national and global headlines. There is a need for better coordination among the various departments,” Sawant said. “I feel that there is a lack of coordination among the departments, which is required, and it results in crime reporting. We can control the crimes that are reported in the state.”

Referring to the Birch fire incident, the CM said, “We could have avoided this incident. A lot of officers knew about the nightclub and that there was no fire exit. Some people went there and enjoyed. I have the proof.” Sawant said that he did not say that officers should not go, but when they visited, and when they knew that such an incident could happen, officers should take precautions.

“If precautions were taken, the 25 people would not have lost their lives. This is an example. Because of this incident, Goa’s image was damaged at national and global level. Tourism was badly affected, and there was a loss for the state,” he said.

The chief minister said that now state govt has formed a standard operating procedure (SOP), and questioned why it did not strike officers to come out with such a policy before the incident. He said the fire department did not do anything.

“Why does the chief minister and chief secretary have to guide the officers? Feedback should come from ground officers. Officers should speak to chief secretary, police should speak to DGP, and the collector should speak to the revenue secretary. Why should higher-ups highlight the issues?” Sawant said.

He said that if the ground-level officers did not take proactive steps, then such types of incidents would repeat in the near future in the state.