Thiruvananthapuram: A fire broke out at the Kerala secretariat on Tuesday, damaging some documents and triggering a political controversy. The incident happened at the protocol office at the North Sandwich Block, triggering a slew of speculations and allegations.
Nobody was injured in the incident but some documents were burned.
An official said no major files were damaged in the accident. "Only some files relating to booking rooms in guest houses were destroyed. The fire was caused by short circuit from a computer," P Honey, under secretary, General Administration department, told Manorama News.
Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the spot and put-off the fire. The office was functioning with minimum staff as an employee working there had tested positive for COVID-19 recently.
"We first opened the windows and doors to let the smoke out. As per our initial assessment, the source of the fire was a switch on the wall, from where the blaze spread to the floor. Some files were partially burnt," a senior fire force official said.
Leader of the Opposition in state assembly, Ramesh Chennithala, alleged a conspiracy behind the fire incident saying it was a deliberate attempt to destroy some evidence relating to the sensational gold smuggling case.
The protocol office, which deals with affairs such as foreign trips of ministers and government officials, was apparently under the radar of the central agencies probing the case.
BJP state president K Surendran also made similar allegations. He demanded a thorough probe into the incident.
Surendran also said the removal of the staff from the office in the name of COVID was also susceptible. "It was not reported in any media," he said.
Fierce battle
The capital city witnessed fierce protest by activists of the Congress, BJP and other opposition parties following the incident.
Chennithala demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency, which is investigating the smuggling case, into the fire incident.
Chennithala, along with Congress MLAs V S Sivakumar and V T Balram, staged a sit-in on the secretariat premises after they were denied entry to the secretariat.
"Many important files were destroyed. Many files related to the gold smuggling case have been destroyed, as also those related to VVIP designation. We have decided to observe a black day on Wednesday and demand an NIA probe into the matter," Chennithala said.
Youth Congress activists and Yuva Morcha workers organised protest marches to the secretariat, which turned violent with police using water cannons to disperse them.
The activists burnt tyres and an effigy of the chief minister in front of the secretariat.
Chennithala and other party MLAs later met Governor Arif Mohamed Khan and raised their concerns over the matter.
Minister raises doubts
Industries minister E P Jayarajan, meanwhile, cast doubts over the opposition over the incident. He said the leader of the opposition's quick response to the incident was mysterious.
He also alleged that the BJP and the Congress tried to create violence inside the secretariat complex.
"The security officials and police reached the spot and contained the fire. But BJP and Congress leaders came together and tried to create violence inside the secretariat. It seems like a conspiracy was hatched to create a violent atmosphere there. Their presence inside the secretariat and their action forces us to think whether they are involved in the incident. The government will conduct a comprehensive probe," Jayarajan said.
