The Editorial Page: Not inviting Leader of Opposition makes Government look small 8 MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2025 Journalism of Courage AhMEDAbAD, lAtE CIty, 18 PAgES ₹5.00 l www.indianexpress.com DA I ly f R O M : A h M E DA b A D , C h A N D I gA R h , D E l h I , j A I P u R , kO l k AtA , l u C k N O W , M u M b A I , N Ag P u R , PAt N A , P u N E , vA D O DA R A PM OffERs CONDOLENCEs; CM ORDERs PROBE ON THE BOARD ARE fORMER CHIEfs Of sEBI, IAf, NITI AAyOG AND U.s. AVIATION ADMINIsTRATION Question mark over role of IndiGo high-profile board, its risk committee in run-up to crisis Last two years’ annual reports make no mention of new pilot rules Four arrested; warrants out for owners: CM Aanchal Magazine & sukalp sharma New Delhi, December 7 THE CRISIS at IndiGo that has causedwidespreaddisturbance in passenger movement over the last five days has put a question mark on the effectiveness of the airline’s board,whichamongstothersincludes a former capital markets Pavneet singh Chadha Panaji, December 7 E. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Passengers search for their luggage at Terminal-1 of Delhi’s IGI Airport, Sunday. AbhINAv SAhA MORE REPORTS, PAGE 3, 6 Anandiben Patel backs prohibition in Gujarat: ‘Keeps our women safe’ Parimal A Dabhi Ahmedabad, December 7 UTTAR PRADESH Governor and former Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Sunday spoke against relaxing liquor prohibition in Gujarat citing women’s safety and added that in Uttar Pradesh there are some places where 25 dead in Goa club fire; FIR flags lack of licences, exits UP Governor and former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel, Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Ahmedabad on Sunday. EXPRESS womencannotmoveoutfreely even today. Speaking at the launch of the Gujarati edition of a book onherlife ChunautiyanMujhe Pasand Hai (I like Challenges) attended by Union Home and Co-operation Minister Amit Shah, she equated him to Chanakyaandaddedthathewould »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Business as Usual By EP UNNY A MIDNIGHT fire at a club in Goa’s Arpora village, set off by fireworksthatturnedthebuilding into a death trap, claimed the lives of 25 people early Sunday morning, including four tourists from Delhi and 21 employees of the establishment. According to police, the control room received the first distresscallattheclub,Birchby Romeo Lane, at 12:02 am and the emergency response system was activated. The fire put the spotlight on an establishment that appeared to have turned a blind eye to the many corners that had been cut — from the club lackingrequisitelicencestored flags that had been ignored to a woeful absence of fire safety measures. Addressing a press conference on Sunday evening, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that a preliminary inquiry indicatedthefirewascausedby “internal electrical fireworks”. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Flames engulf the nightclub in North Goa’s Arpora village. PtI Most victims migrant workers, kin ask: Why did no one save them? Pavneet singh Chadha Panaji, December 7 “KAUN GOA nahi aana chaahta (who doesn’t want to come to Goa)?” asked Ashish Rawat, sitting outside the mortuary of Goa Medical College and Hospital on Sunday. His cousin, Jitendra Singh (24), came to the coastal state from their home in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district six months ago and got a job as inside thE NIghtcLUB fAcEd rEd fLAgS SINcE 2023 p 6 a chef. Jitendra was among the kitchen staff who died in the fire at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa’s Arpora village. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad