Fired Kurgan Region Official to Be Reinstated After Fatal Fire

Nikolai Babkin, director of the Southern Territorial Department of the Shatrovsky Municipal District, will be reinstated. He was fired after a fire in the village of Smolina that killed two children and their grandmother; the boys« father set the house on fire. Authorities claimed Babkin was negligent in his duties and failed to adequately monitor the family. He contested the dismissal and sued.

«In court, they claimed I violated procedures. The other side»s representatives dodged the question of why I was dismissed. They argued I failed to report the family situation promptly. But the district services never registered the children«s mother and just wanted to shift all blame onto me,» Nikolai Babkin told 72.RU.

The court ruled in his favor.

«Nikolai Stepanovich has been reinstated. The final hearing was on January 21. The prosecutor concluded the dismissal was illegal and upheld the claim»s merits,« said Olesya Yevseyeva, his lawyer.

The court«s decision has not yet taken effect.

We visited Smolina after the tragedy. This article details how the fire occurred, why many sympathize with the arsonist, and how Babkin became the fall guy.