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{{Short description|2004 fire in India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox news event
| title = 2004 Srirangam Marriage hall fire
| image =
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| date = {{Start date|2004|01|23|df=y}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Chronology of major fire accidents|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-2531606241.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610085953/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-2531606241.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 June 2014|work=Hindustan Times|location=New Delhi|date=9 December 2011|accessdate=30 November 2013}}</ref>
| time =
| place = [[Srirangam]], Tamil Nadu, India
| coordinates = {{coord|10|51|18|N|78|41|29|E|type:event_region:IN-04|display=inline,title}}
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| reported injuries = 33
| reported death(s) = 64
| reported missing =
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The '''2004 Srirangam marriage hall fire''' was a fire that happened on 23 January 2004 during a [[Hindu wedding]] at Padmapriya Marriage Hall in [[Srirangam]], a town in the [[South India|South Indian]] state of [[Tamil Nadu]]. A day after the accident, there were 42 victims, but a total of 64 people, including the groom, were killed overall and 33 others were injured in the fire. The reason for the fire was found out to be a short circuit in the electric wire connecting a video camera, which lit up the temporary thatched roof set up in the first level of the hall.

The fire is counted as one of four major blazes in the state, along with the [[Erwadi fire incident]] on 6 August 2001 that killed 30 mentally challenged people, the [[Brihadeeswarar Temple fire]] on 7 June 1997 in which 48 people were killed and the [[2004 Kumbakonam School fire]] that killed 94 school children. Chief Minister [[J. Jayalalithaa]] announced a cash relief of {{INRConvert|50000|lk=on|year=2004}} to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, {{INRConvert|15000|year=2004}} to people with heavy injuries and {{INRConvert|6000|year=2004}} to those with minor injuries.

The case was fought in the Principal District Court of Tiruchirapalli. On 14 June 2012, the judge sentenced Ramasamy (65), owner of the wedding hall, to two years [[rigorous imprisonment]] and ordered to pay a compensation of {{INR}}50,000 each to the dependents of the victims and {{INRConvert|10000|year=2004}} each to those injured in the accident. Selvam, the thatch roof contractor, one of the six accused, died before the judgement. Dharmaraj, the videographer was sentenced to one year rigorous imprisonment, Sadagopan, the hall manager, to one year imprisonment and Murugesan, the electrician, to six months imprisonment. The sentence of photographer Dharmaraj was reduced to 6 months by [[Madras High Court]] on 10 June 2020 which also ordered disbursement of {{INRConvert|40|l|lk=l|year=2020}} to the victims.

==Fire==
The day of the marriage, 23 January 2004, was a Friday, which was considered auspicious as per Hindu custom. The marriage was celebrated in Padmapriya Marriage Hall, located in EV Srinivasachari Road in [[Srirangam]]. The groom, Gururajan (40), was an employee of an insurance company and the bride Jayasri Ramanathan, was a school teacher. Since the crowd was large, the venue of the marriage was shifted to a makeshift open area on the first level of the hall that had a thatched roof.<ref name="AP">{{cite news|title=India Wedding Hall Fire Kills 45 People|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-89766800.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610090013/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-89766800.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 June 2014|work=AP Online|last=K.N.|first=Arun|date=24 January 2004|location=Madras, India}}</ref>

The fire spread at around 9:15 in the morning quickly to the makeshift stage, thatched roof, plastic chairs and clothing material, killing 30 people on the spot. The thatched roof fell on the visitors and the smoke engulfed in the hall masked the exit routes. It was reported that the victims fell over a handicapped person who was trying to escape. Fire personnel from Srirangam and [[Tiruchirappalli]] tried to doze off the fire, along with the support of locals.<ref name="AP" />

The injured people were admitted in the Srirangam Government Hospital and KAP Viswananathan Hospital in Tiruchirappalli. A total of 57 people were killed in the fire and 50 others were injured. The reason of the fire, based on the account of initial eyewitnesses was found out to be a short circuit initiated by a video camera which lit up the temporary thatched low roof set up on the first level of the hall. The people killed included the bridegroom Gururajan (40), 20 women and four children, three of whom were girls under the age of 10. The bride Jayasri (32) sustained brutal injuries. After the fire, burnt flesh, utensils and belongings of the visitors laid all over the place. The rescue operations were overseen by the then Collector of Tiruchirapalli, K. Manivasan, the Inspector-General of Police, S. George, the range DIG and City Police Commissioner, Sunil Kumar Singh.<ref name="hindu">{{cite news|title=49 perish in fire at wedding in Srirangam|url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/01/24/stories/2004012409070100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040130210539/http://www.hindu.com/2004/01/24/stories/2004012409070100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 January 2004|last=S.|first=Ganesan|date=24 June 2004|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|accessdate=30 November 2013}}</ref> Most of the victims killed on the spot were the colleagues of the groom.<ref name="AP" />

==Enquiry==
The initial investigation by police found the possible reason for the fire to be a short circuit of the wire connecting the videographer's equipment. The Inspector-General of Police, Central Zone, S. George, informed the media that the low-hanging decorative material probably caught fire owing to the intense heat generated by the video flashgun. He pointed out that temporary power lines to the unauthorised makeshift thatch were the major reasons of the fire.<ref name="front" /> The building, constructed as a residential building, was illegally converted into a hall.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chandar |first=B. Tilak |date=2020-06-08 |title=Srirangam marriage hall fire: HC upholds conviction of owner, manager |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/srirangam-marriage-hall-fire-hc-upholds-conviction-of-owner-manager-madurai/article31781193.ece |access-date=2025-08-18 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

The police recovered the videocassette from the videographer who recorded the marriage. There were four arrests that included the hall manager S. Sadagopan, video light boy R. Balaji, electrician K. Murugesan, and thatch contractor M. Selvam. They were booked under Section 304A of the [[Indian Penal Code]] (IPC) on [[criminal negligence]]. The enquiry was headed by an officer of the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police.<ref name="front">{{cite journal|title=Fire at a wedding|url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2103/stories/20040213007513400.htm|last=S.|first=Ganesan|location=Tiruchi|journal=Frontline|volume=21|issue=3|date=31 January – 13 February 2004|accessdate=30 November 2013}}</ref> The investigations also revealed that the stampede was on account of the narrow staircase that was just {{convert|2.5|ft|m|abbr=on}} wide and served as the only passage.<ref>[[#Chaturvedi|Chaturvedi]], p. 448</ref>

The case was fought in the Principal District Court of Tiruchirapalli. On 14 June 2012, the judge sentenced Ramasamy (65), the owner of the wedding hall to two years rigorous imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay a compensation of {{INRConvert|50000|lk=on|year=2004}} each to the dependants of the victims and {{INRConvert|10000|year=2004}} each to those injured in the fire. Selvam, the thatch roof contractor, one of the six accused, died before the judgement. Dharmaraj, the videographer, was sentenced to one year [[rigorous imprisonment]], Sadagopan to one year imprisonment and Murugesan to six months imprisonment.<ref name="HT">{{cite news|title=TN: Killer marriage hall owner gets 2-year RI|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/article542282.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131223030323/http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/article542282.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 December 2013|newspaper=The New Indian Express|location=Trichy|date=14 June 2012|accessdate=30 November 2013}}</ref>

Dharmaraj, Ramaswamy, Sadagopan and Murugesan challenged the order of the [[Sessions Court|sessions court]] in the High Court bench at Madurai which upheld the punishment of all leaving Dharmaraj, whose sentence was reduced to 6 month imprisonment on 10 June 2020 which also ordered disbursement of {{INRConvert|40|l|lk=l|year=2020}} to the victims.<ref name="new" />

==Aftermath==
The funeral of the 42 killed in the fire was performed on 24 January 2004 on the banks of river [[Kaveri]]. Fourteen families attended the funeral. The ghat, which had a capacity to accommodate three funerals at a time, was expanded to have more funerals at the same time. The bride, Jayashri suffered depression on account of the event.<ref>{{cite news|title=42 funerals follow Friday's wedding hall fire|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jan/24fire.htm|work=PTI|publisher=Rediff|date=24 January 2004|accessdate=30 November 2013}}</ref>

The fire is counted as one of four major blazes in the state, along with the [[Erwadi fire incident]] on 6 August 2001 that killed 30 mentally challenged people, [[Brihadeeswarar Temple fire]] on 7 June 1997 in which 48 people were killed and [[2004 Kumbakonam School fire]] that killed 94 school children.<ref name="Teets103">[[#Teets|Teets 2007]], p. 103-4</ref> The Director of Fire and Rescue Service indicated that the department would conduct minimum safety standard check on all marriage halls in the state. Chief Minister [[Jayalalithaa]] announced a cash relief of {{INR}}50,000 each to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, {{INRConvert|40|l|lk=l|year=2020}} to people with heavy injuries and {{INRConvert|6000|year=2004}} to those with minor injuries.<ref name="front" />

==Timeline==
* 23 January 2004 - Fire accident in a marriage hall in Srirangam where 42 were killed.
* 24 January 2004 - Funeral performed for all 42 killed in the accident in the banks of river [[Kaveri]].
* 14 June 2012 - Ramasamy (65), the owner of the wedding hall to two years rigorous imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay a compensation of {{INR}}50,000 each to the dependants of the victims and {{INR}}10,000 each to those injured in the accident. Selvam, the thatch roof contractor, one of the six accused, died before the judgement. Dharmaraj, the videographer, was sentenced to one year rigorous imprisonment, Sadagopan to one year imprisonment and Murugesan to six months imprisonment.
* 10 June 2020 - A bench of Madras High Court in Madurai upholds the sentence of three and reduces the sentence of the photographer.<ref name=new>{{cite news|title=Srirangam marriage hall fire: HC upholds conviction of three, acquits one|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2020/jun/10/srirangam-marriage-hall-fire-hc-upholds-conviction-of-three-acquits-one-2154726.html|date=20 June 2020|accessdate=31 October 2020}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[2023 Qaraqosh wedding fire]]

==References==

=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|title=Managing Safety: Challenges Ahead (2 Vols. Set), Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kSx0ad8haGMC&q=srirangam+fire+accident&pg=PA448|last=Chaturvedi|first=Pradeep |ref=Chaturvedi|year=2005|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=9788180692307}}
* {{cite book|title=All You Wanted To Know About Disasters|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GwGlBIJyNoIC&q=kumbakonam+school+fire&pg=PA189|last=B.K.|first=Khanna|publisher=New India Publishing|isbn=9788189422134|year=2005|ref=B.K.}}
* {{cite book|title=Profitable Management for the Subcontractor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hDImGr74HIIC&q=kumbakonam+school+fire&pg=PA103|last=Teets|first=Robert L. |publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education|isbn=9780070633872|year=2007|location=New Delhi|ref=Teets}}
{{refend}}

[[Category:2004 disasters in India]]
[[Category:2000s in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Disasters in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:2004 fires in Asia]]
[[Category:History of Tiruchirappalli]]
[[Category:Crime in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Commercial building fires in India]]
[[Category:Building and structure collapses in India]]
[[Category:Building and structure collapses caused by fire]]
[[Category:January 2004 in India]]
[[Category:Wedding disasters]]
[[Category:Building and structure collapses in 2004]]

Srirangam marriage hall fire - Revision history

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