India, Jan. 1 -- The Goa government has terminated a panchayat secretary's services and disqualified a sarpanch for allegedly allowing the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, where 25 were killed in a fire on December 6, to operate illegally. The two, Raghuvir Bagkar and Roshan Redkar, have been on the run, with a local court rejecting their anticipatory bail pleas.

Safety lapses, including an inadequate number of exits, a thatched roof, and stacks of alcohol, intensified the fire that ripped through the nightclub in the coastal village of Arpora.On December 16, Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, the owners of the club, were arrested at Delhi airport after being deported from Thailand, where they fled after the fire.

Mahadev Araundekar, the director...