Police in Chhattisgarh’s Arang have registered a case against the operator of a private hospital for allegedly using a forged fire safety no-objection certificate (NOC), after a joint inspection team found discrepancies in the document’s date, QR code, officer details, signature and departmental logo.
The irregularities came to light when officials from the fire department and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) examined the hospital’s fire-safety records. The hospital management produced a photocopy of an NOC carrying an issue date of April 16, 2026. However, officials reportedly found that scanning the document’s QR code or barcode returned a date from 2025.
The fire department also questioned the inspecting officer named on the certificate. According to the department, no officer by that name was posted there. Officials further raised questions about the signature and departmental logo appearing on the document. Verification against government records added to suspicions that the NOC was not genuine.
The fire department had inspected the hospital premises on July 2 and later issued a notice relating to renewal of its fire NOC. The document was examined further during the verification process that followed. Based on a complaint filed by a fire department inspector, Arang police registered a case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Police are investigating who prepared the certificate and whether a computer centre or graphics designer was involved in creating it. The investigation is also expected to establish how the document was submitted to the hospital and whether any other individuals or establishments were connected to its preparation or use.
A district fire official said commercial and medical establishments are required to renew their fire NOCs annually. The requirement is intended to confirm that premises continue to meet prescribed fire-safety conditions rather than relying on an earlier approval. In hospitals, the certification has added significance because patients may be immobile, dependent on staff or unable to evacuate without assistance during an emergency.
The official said similar cases had previously surfaced in Bilaspur and Ambikapur, where arrests were made. The Arang case was described as the first such instance reported in Raipur district. The police investigation remains under way, and the authorities have not yet disclosed whether the hospital’s current fire-safety compliance has been established beyond the disputed document.
