The Deadly Price of Greed: How Corruption Burned Down a Goa Nightclub

​Goa is often seen as a paradise of sun, sand, and celebration. But beneath the neon lights and loud music, a dark reality of corruption and negligence was recently exposed in the most tragic way possible. In December 2025, a massive fire ripped through the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, North Goa. The blaze did not just destroy a building; it took the lives of 25 people. Most of the victims were young staff members working hard to build a future, along with a family of tourists who had come to the coast for a holiday.

​As the smoke cleared, the public demanded answers. How could such a popular venue be so unsafe? A government-led magisterial inquiry has now released a report that is nothing short of a horror story about official greed. It reveals that the club was a death trap built on lies, forged documents, and the active help of local officials who looked the other way while pockets were filled.

​Built on Forbidden Land

​One of the most shocking findings of the probe is where the club was actually built. According to the report, the entire structure stood illegally in the middle of a salt pan. In Goa, salt pans are protected water bodies. They are environmentally sensitive areas where construction is strictly forbidden by law. There is no legal provision, past or present, that would have allowed a massive hexagonal nightclub to be erected there.

​The land was classified as agricultural, and no permission was ever granted to convert it for commercial use. Yet, the building didn't just appear overnight. It had been standing there since the late nineties, gradually expanding into a high-end luxury destination. The fact that a massive commercial structure operated on a protected water body for years shows a complete collapse of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and Land Revenue monitoring systems.

​The Paper Trail of Forgery and Lies

​If the location was the first crime, the paperwork was the second. The inquiry found that the owners used forged documents to obtain various No Objection Certificates (NOCs). The magisterial report highlights that several mandatory documents, including approved building plans and legitimate land records, were missing from the files.

​In a desperate attempt to make the club look legal, investigators found evidence of blatant tampering. Entries in official logs were reportedly added later using different colored ink to insert a fake house number. This house number did not even exist in the village records. This "ghost address" was used to bypass the checks and balances that should have caught the illegal construction. It was a calculated effort to create a "legal" facade for an entirely illegal operation.

​Official Collusion: A Deadly Partnership

​Perhaps the most painful part of the report is the detail regarding official collusion. Rules and regulations are meant to protect the public, but in this case, they were treated as suggestions. The probe explicitly states that local panchayat officials "colluded" with the club owners.

​The village panchayat of Arpora-Nagoa had issued a temporary establishment licence in December 2023, but it was only valid until March 31, 2024. After that date, the club had no valid trade licence to operate as a bar, restaurant, or nightclub. For over eight months leading up to the fire, the club was running illegally. The law gives local authorities the power to seal any premises operating without a licence, but the panchayat secretary and the sarpanch did nothing.

​The report suggests this wasn't just a mistake or "laziness." It was a deliberate choice to allow the business to continue. Even when residents filed complaints about noise and illegal parking, police and local officials allegedly closed the files with the remark "nothing found on the spot," despite the club hosting hundreds of people every night.

​A Fire Waiting to Happen

​On the night of December 6, the lack of safety measures finally caught up with the venue. The fire was triggered by the use of indoor fireworks during a crowded dance party. These fireworks were handled without any caution and without any functional fire safety equipment on standby.

​The building itself was designed to fail in an emergency. The inquiry noted that there were no emergency exits on either the ground floor or the upper deck. When the flames broke out, they spread rapidly, fueled by dried palm leaves used for decoration. Because there was no clear way out, people were trapped. Twenty of the twenty-five people who died were staff members, many of whom were in the basement or kitchen areas and had no chance of escape once the smoke filled the narrow corridors.

​Accountability and the Road Ahead

​In the wake of this report, the government has started taking some action. The Panchayat Secretary has been dismissed from service, and the Sarpanch has been disqualified. Eight people, including the owners who initially tried to flee the country, have been arrested. They face serious charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder and criminal conspiracy.

​However, the families of the victims are left wondering why it took 25 deaths for the government to notice a massive illegal club on a salt pan. The report gives over 60 recommendations to prevent such a disaster from happening again, ranging from stricter document verification to regular night patrolling by high-ranking officials.

​The story of the Birch nightclub fire is a grim reminder that when officials and business owners prioritize profit over safety, it is the common citizen and the working class who pay the ultimate price. Goa’s nightlife may be famous, but this tragedy has shown that it needs a deep cleaning. The "all-is-well" attitude of the authorities can no longer be an excuse for the loss of human life.