Lucknow fire: Akhilesh Yadav slams Yogi govt over 15 deaths, illegal commercial use
Synopsis
At least 15 people — many of them students — died in a Lucknow building fire allegedly operating as a commercial coaching centre inside a residential zone. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has turned the tragedy into a political indictment, calling out the Yogi government for corruption, zoning failures, and a habit of forming SITs to escape accountability.
Key Takeaways
At least 15 people died in a fire at a commercial building in Lucknow , with many victims reported to be students at coaching centres.
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav accused the Yogi Adityanath government of allowing illegal commercial activity in a residential area.
Yadav cited earlier fires in Lucknow — at a slum, Charbagh , and a Hazratganj hotel — as evidence of a recurring pattern of administrative failure.
He pre-emptively criticised the likely formation of an SIT, calling it a government tactic to evade accountability.
The Uttar Pradesh government had not formally responded to Yadav's allegations at the time of reporting.
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government over the death of at least 15 people in a devastating fire at a commercial building in Lucknow, alleging that the blaze exposed a pattern of unchecked illegal commercial activity in residential zones. Yadav made the remarks while speaking to reporters at a bhandara, calling the incident a direct consequence of government corruption and administrative failure.
What Akhilesh Yadav Said
Speaking with visible emotion, Yadav described the scale of human tragedy. 'Yesterday's incident is saddening because so many students lost their lives. And those who went there for coaching, jobs, or work, most of them lost their lives. I have also heard that children were calling their parents and family members,' he said.
'Some were calling their father; some were calling their brother. Many of them were calling the fire brigade. Just imagine, the families who have lost their children — the biggest sorrow is the loss of their own children,' Yadav added.
He directly accused the state government of enabling the conditions that led to the deaths. 'Yesterday, so many children lost their lives... commercial activity was being conducted in a residential area,' he said, questioning why the administration had failed to act on such violations.
SIT Criticism and Corruption Allegations
Yadav was scathing about the government's expected response, predicting it would deflect accountability. 'What is the responsibility of the government? The easiest way for the government to escape (from responsibility) is by forming an SIT,' he said.
He drew a pointed comparison with the Special Investigation Team probing the alleged theft of donations from Ayodhya's Ram Temple, arguing that SITs had become a tool to manage optics rather than deliver justice. 'It seems like there is no government for the last 10 years. The level of their corruption has surpassed everything,' he alleged. 'There is only loot in this BJP government,' he further charged.
A Pattern of Fires in Lucknow
The SP chief placed the tragedy in a broader context of recurring fire incidents in the state capital. He cited earlier blazes — including a fire at a slum, a similar incident at Charbagh, and a deadly fire at a popular hotel in Hazratganj — arguing that the government had failed to draw lessons from any of them.
Notably, this is not the first time that allegations of lax fire safety enforcement and illegal land use have surfaced in Lucknow. Critics argue that commercial establishments routinely operate in residential zones without adequate safety clearances, a problem compounded by what opposition leaders describe as systemic corruption in local administration.
Political and Administrative Context
The fire, which claimed at least 15 lives — many of them students attending coaching classes — has triggered a political storm in Uttar Pradesh. The building was reportedly being used for commercial purposes, including coaching institutes, in what authorities are now examining as a potential zoning and fire safety violation.
The incident puts the Yogi Adityanath government under fresh pressure over urban governance and building regulation enforcement ahead of the political calendar in the state. The government had not issued a formal response to Yadav's remarks at the time of reporting.
Point of View
Railway hubs, and hotels suggest a structural enforcement failure that outlasts any single government. The SIT comparison with the Ram Temple donation probe is a deliberate provocation, designed to link two unrelated controversies into a single corruption narrative. What is missing from the political noise is any accountability from the municipal and fire safety apparatus — bodies that rarely feature in the blame-game but bear direct regulatory responsibility for building use certificates and fire NOCs.
NationPress
23 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people died in the Lucknow building fire?
At least 15 people died in the fire at a commercial building in Lucknow, according to reports. Many of the victims were students who had gone to the building for coaching classes or work.
What did Akhilesh Yadav say about the Lucknow fire?
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav accused the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government of allowing illegal commercial activity in a residential area, calling the deaths a consequence of systemic corruption. He also criticised the government's likely recourse to forming an SIT, calling it a way to escape responsibility.
What is the allegation about the building where the fire broke out?
The building was allegedly being used for commercial purposes — including coaching institutes — inside a residential zone, reportedly without proper fire safety clearances. Yadav cited this as evidence of corruption and lax enforcement by local authorities.
Has Lucknow seen similar fire incidents before?
Yes. Akhilesh Yadav referenced earlier fires at a city slum, at Charbagh, and at a hotel in Hazratganj that also resulted in casualties. Critics argue these incidents point to a recurring pattern of fire safety failures in the state capital.
What has the Uttar Pradesh government said in response?
The Uttar Pradesh government had not issued a formal public response to Akhilesh Yadav's allegations at the time of reporting. Authorities are reportedly examining the incident as a potential zoning and fire safety violation.
