Flames engulfed a Make in India venue at Mumbai's Girgaum Chowpatty on Sunday night, as the second day of the central government's week-long event drew to a close.
A lavani performance organised by the Maharashtra government and attended by political and Bollywood luminaries from state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to actor Amitabh Bachchan was interrupted by a sudden fire under the stage at the beachside venue at around eight pm.
Though the fire has been brought under control, the fire brigade said that operations to cool the stage were still underway. The performers and audience have been safely evacuated and no casualties had been reported by 10.15 pm.
The Maharashtra government had to move the Supreme Court to conduct the event at the beach, after the Bombay High Court put a stay on construction of the stage. While most events in the Make in India week are happening at Bandra-Kurla Complex, the lavani event, which was introduced by Bachchan, was one of the few to be organised at Chowpatty.
Ejected from the venue along with the audience, television channels pushed instead to interview various celebrities for their opinions on what had happened. As Maharashtra chief minister and organiser of the event, Fadnavis was the first to give an official statement, saying that nobody had been harmed. He also tweeted that he had received a phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi assuring Fadnavis of his support.
Aditya Thackeray, whose father and leader of the Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray was present at the event despite not being invited to any of the inaugural functions on the previous day, also spoke in support of the Maharashtra government.
Even as the fire raged by the sea, people on social media were quick to push their own politics.
Diverse conspiracy theories flared before the fire had even been extinguished.
Fadnavis has for now scotched that theory. He also won himself a few fans with his prompt actions.
The actual explanation might have been simpler than a deep anti-national conspiracy to unsettle the nation.
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