Under attack over inadequate safety measures at the trade fair ravaged by fire, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday overhauled the top echelon of the Meerut administration shifting four officials including the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police.

50 dead in Meerut fire

The SP (City) and the Additional District Magistrate were the other two officials who were removed, Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Home) S K Agarwal told reporters in Lucknow.

Meerut District Magistrate Ram Krishna, whose office was ransacked by an angry mob earlier on Wednesday, was replaced by DM Mukesh Meshram.

Ram Krishna had been sent to the Planning Department, Agarwal said.

Navneet Sikera, attached with the Police Headquarters in Lucknow, was made the new SSP (Meerut) in place of Rajiv Sabbarwal who had been posted as PAC Commandant (Gorakhpur).

Sikera was recently transferred from Varanasi in the wake of twin terror strikes there.

SP (Meerut) S S Yadav was replaced by U S Jaiswal, an ASP in the Police Headquarters (Allahabad), and ADM S C Dubey by Manvendra Singh, ADM (Executive) Bareilly, the Principal Secretary (Home) said.

UP Director General of Police Bua Singh, also present at the press briefing, said nine people had been arrested in connection with ransacking of the DM's office in Meerut.

He said the toll in the devastating fire had risen to 36, adding five bodies still remained unidentified and nine people were reportedly missing.