The investigation into the devastating fire at a guest house in Delhi's Malviya Nagar, which claimed 21 lives, is increasingly turning attention towards possible failures within the licensing and regulatory system. While the hotel owner and staff remain under scrutiny, fresh findings have raised an uncomfortable question, how was the establishment allowed to operate if basic safety and documentation requirements were not being properly followed?
The June 3 Delhi fire at Flourish Stay B&B was one of the deadliest hotel fires in the capital in recent years.
Licence allegedly obtained using employee’s documents
According to investigators, the hotel's accountant, Jai Mishra, told police that he had provided his personal documents for obtaining the bed-and-breakfast licence at the request of owner Lavkesh Bajaj. He reportedly said that the application process itself was handled by the owner. He was reportedly drawing a monthly salary of around Rs 35,000.
Now the question arises how a licence could have been approved in the name of an employee while the property and business were allegedly controlled by someone else. Officials are now looking into whether proper verification was conducted before the licence was granted.
Questions over regulatory checks
The latest findings have shifted part of the spotlight onto the authorities responsible for approving and monitoring such establishments. Officials are examining whether there were irregularities in the approval process and whether mandatory checks were overlooked. If ownership details, operational control and documentation did not match, questions are being raised about why these discrepancies were not flagged earlier.
The probe is also expected to review whether periodic inspections and compliance checks were carried out as required.
Police have found that Mishra was not merely handling accounts but was deeply involved in the hotel's daily functioning. Investigators say he supervised staff, managed guest records, oversaw administrative work and handled licence-related documentation.
He was also allegedly responsible for monitoring compliance with safety requirements and maintaining important records linked to the establishment's operations.
Claim of destroyed records under verification
During questioning, Mishra reportedly claimed that guest registers, identity records, licence papers and other documents were destroyed in the fire.
However, investigators are not relying solely on that explanation. Police are now gathering records from government departments, online platforms and other agencies to rebuild the hotel's paper trail and determine whether any violations were ignored.
While criminal liability of the owner and management remains a key part of the investigation, the emerging details have sparked wider concerns about accountability within the regulatory system. The central question now is not only who ran the hotel, but who allowed it to continue operating. Why were licensing procedures flawed and safety compliance inadequate?
