On the 10th of June, a fire broke out in a government building in the Alipore area of West Bengal’s Kolkata. The fire caused the destruction of over 4,000 EVMs. These included electronic voting machines used in 10 constituencies during the recent state assembly elections. The authorities have raised suspicion of internal sabotage.
Fire broke out on the third floor, and mysteriously reached the ninth floor despite containment of the primary fire: Authorities suspect sabotage
The fire broke out in the 9–10 storey administrative building of the South 24 Parganas Zilla Parishad. As per a Times of India report, the fire was first spotted on the third floor, which housed the NIC conference room and offices of several Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, including now-arrested Jahangir Khan and Bahirul Islam.
Starting from the 2nd or 3rd floor, the fire spread to the fifth and seventh floors. In an unusual pattern, the middle floors suffered little to no damage and mysteriously reached the 8th and 9th floors even as the primary fire was contained and the power supply was fully disconnected.
The fire broke out at around 9:50 am, and by 11:40-11:50 am, it was contained by the firefighters. However, at around 12:30 pm, the flames rekindled, this time on the ninth and tenth floors.
Citing senior fire department officials, TOI reported that the second phase of the fire was “unusual”. The officials were baffled over how the fire could spread from the fourth floor to the ninth and tenth floors without causing any damage to the sixth, seventh, and eighth floors.
This triggered suspicion that a deliberate attempt might have been made to destroy materials stored on the ninth and tenth floors. The damage to EVMs and other materials on specific floors, housing offices of TMC leaders like Jahangir Khan, and where EVMs were kept, indicated internal sabotage.
Notably, the ninth floor housed the mid-day meal section, while the tenth floor contained the Alipore Sadar strong room. This is a maximum-security zone, housing EVMs used during elections in Kasba, Jadavpur, Behala East, Behala West, Metiabruz, and Tollygunge assembly constituencies.
The fire destroyed numerous files, important records, and computers.
The unusual pattern of how the fire spread prompted the Minister of State (Department of Fire and Emergency), Kaushik Chaudhary, to conduct an on-spot inspection.
“The cause of the sudden fire on that floor is suspicious. EVMs were stored there. Offices for the Sarva Shiksha Mission, Mid-Day Meal and Horticulture departments were located there, while election offices occupied the 8th and 9th floors. Approximately 4,000 EVMs belonging to 10 Assembly constituencies have been destroyed…It does not appear to be a normal fire. We are examining whether there was any sabotage,” Minister Chaudhary said.
The police registered a criminal case at the Alipore Police Station under BNS Sections 326(g) and 3(5), read with Section 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the case. The SIT includes Assistant Commissioner of Police Sukhendu Mukhopadhyay, Inspector Hirak Dalapati of the Detective Department, Inspector Arpan Das and Sub-Inspector Suman Ghosh. Forensic examination is also being conducted.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission raised concerns that the EVMs stored on the tenth floor might have been damaged in the fire.
In an initial statement, a senior ECI official said, “EVMs have been stored in the building. The fire may have caused some damage. We will have to inspect each EVM to assess the impact. The police are investigating the incident, and the district magistrate will submit a report to us.”
The fire in the New Administrative building, which was under TMC-controlled Zilla Parishad administration in Alipore, broke out just two days after TMC leader Jahangir Khan was arrested at the India-Nepal border while attempting to flee. Khan was the TMC candidate for the Falta assembly seat, but a re-poll was held following irregularities during the election. Following this, the re-election was held, and Jahangir Khan withdrew from the field.
A close aide of former CM Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, Jahangir Khan, faces several cases under serious charges, including attempted murder, extortion, and inciting riots. He also faces a money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate.
Currently, the administrative building has been secured and public movement restricted as investigators probe how the fire spread across multiple floors. The police have also increased surveillance around the complex.
TMC attempts to blame ECI and BJP for the Alipore administrative building fire
Amidst the suspicions and probe, the TMC has insinuated that the fire and destruction of 4,000 EVMs was a “calculated attempt to make crucial evidence vanish after tampering with Democracy itself?”
However, when the facts that the Alipore Zilla Parishad administration is controlled by the TMC, and that South 24 Parganas is a stronghold of Abhishek Banerjee, are juxtaposed with the mysterious spread of fire in the administrative building from the floor that housed offices of TMC leaders, especially the office of Karmadhakshya Jahangir Khan, and directly to the top floors where EVMs were stored, a different picture emerges. The complete truth will only be known once the SIT probe is concluded and the findings are made public.
