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Fire at MP govt building brought under control but triggers political heat
The fire incident seems to have also charged up political atmosphere in Madhya Pradesh where elections are due later in year.
A massive fire that broke out at Satpura Bhawan in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal on Monday afternoon was brought under control after 12 hours of firefighting operations, according to officials. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors were the worst affected due to the blaze.
"The flames have been controlled but there is a cloud of smoke at different places, due to which there is a possibility that it may catch fire later but teams are working," Bhopal Commissioner of Police Harinarayanachari Mishra told ANI.
The scale of the fire prompted chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to seek help from the Indian Air Force and, on the directions of defence minister Rajnath Singh, IAF's AN 32 and Mi-15 aircraft were sent to Bhopal for the dousing operation.
Mishra, however, insisted that there is no need for IAF helicopters as of now.
"Primarily it has come to the fore that the cause of the fire is due to a short circuit, but a team of experts has been formed to investigate it," Mishra said.
The fire broke out at around 4.00 pm in the office of the Tribal Welfare Department operating on the third floor of the building and later spread to the fourth, fifth and sixth floors. No casualties were reported as all officers and employees were taken out safely in time.
The chief minister on Monday announced a committee to find out the preliminary causes of the fire as the opposition launched a series of allegations against the BJP government.
Congress MLA Jitu Patwari wrote over Twitter, "This is our health directorate. It is operated from the Satpura Bhawan in the state capital Bhopal. Today it caught fire again."
He added, "CM Chouhan, my direct question is, whether the fire breaks out or has it been set? Because it is generally believed that the government does such 'action' to destroy the evidence before the elections. Now, the BJP should also tell who were the culprits in the old fire incident. How many people were punished?"
Former Pradesh Congress Committee President (PCC) Chief Arun Yadav tweeted, "Today, when Priyanka Gandhi attacked regarding the scams while addressing in Jabalpur, a huge fire broke out in the Satpura Bhawan in which important files were burnt to ashes."
"Whether it is a conspiracy to burn the documents of scams on the pretext of fire? This fire incident is indicating a change in Madhya Pradesh," he further wrote on Twitter.
