Kerala secretariat fire: Test for Vijayan govt as opposition steps up pressure

A section of the employees alleged that it was a well planned and executed fire and important files dealing with the exemption certificates in UAE consular office, tour itinerary and travel history of some controversial bureaucrats and ministers were destroyed in the blaze.

A minor fire that gutted ‘important’ files and furniture at the Kerala secretariat on Tuesday was doused in 40 minutes but it was enough to flare up the whole state which witnessed a series of protests, tear-gas shelling, baton charging and sit-ins. Unmindful of Covid-19 protocol, many district headquarters turned a battle ground on Wednesday after protestors clashed with the police injuring many.

The room in which the fire originated was closed for the last two days after one of the employees in the Kerala secretariat tested Covid-19 positive. (HT PHOTO.)

While opposition parties alleged the fire was deliberate to destroy key evidence in the sensational gold smuggling case, the ruling party put up a brave face saying it was a mere accident and some parties were adding politics to it. The police first information report says many files were destroyed but government and senior officers swear those were not important ones and had nothing to do with the smuggling case.

Both they do agree many files were destroyed but the lingering question is whether they were important or not. Many questions, however, remain unanswered-- why it happened at the protocol office a week after its officers were summoned by the National Investigation Agency, why they delayed CCTV visuals to the NIA and how reinforcements were delayed during the accident are some of them. The government which is in the shadow of gold smuggling after the exit of the CM’s powerful secretary M Sivasankar will have to answer many tricky posers.

The general administration department (GAD), where the protocol office falls, said gutted files relate to the government guest house bookings and ministers ‘swearing-in details. But nobody is willing to believe GAD secretary P Hani’s claims. At the same tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran claimed e-filing was there but later the government admitted e-filing was not complete in all departments. Some also say backup files are there but their explanations are as ambiguous as their claims-- insiders said files which destroyed have no back up.

But a section of the employees allege that it was a well planned and executed fire and important files dealing with the exemption certificates in UAE consular office, tour itinerary and travel history of some controversial bureaucrats and ministers were destroyed. They say the room in which the fire originated was closed for the last two days after one of the employees tested Covid-19 positive. And they also allege that the secretariat has a small fire unit and it was missing in action and officials waited for reinforcement to arrive from outside. They also question the suspicious movement of some government trade union leaders on the premises.

According to the FIR the fire started from a fan after overheating and its remains fell on curtains and later spread to an ‘alimirah’ where files were kept. While the government congratulated Chief Secretary Viswas Mehta who is said to have avoided a major flare up at the seat of power, the opposition was not amused. It said his role was mysterious and he was in a hurry to keep out the media and politicians from the scene. When asked about this he refused to comment saying investigation was on. The government is also planning to book BJP state president K Surendran who was among the first to reach the spot. It views his presence at the secretariat as a breach of security.

Two inquiries are in place now-- one led by the police and other by the disaster management secretary. But it is a fact that the fire is turning into another major embarrassment for the state government.

“Many IAS officers’ names also cropped up during the investigation. You don’t need an in-depth inquiry to find out it was an orchestrated one. There are chances of more such manmade fires. We want the NIA to take custody of the remaining important files,” said N K Premachandran, RSP MP from Kollam. After meeting Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Tuesday UDF leaders sent another written submission seeking his intervention on Wednesday.

Some officials say video clippings of smuggling accused Swapna Suresh and Sandip Nair with some officials of the GAD department were doing the rounds on social media for the last few days. There are reports that Suresh was a frequent visitor to the GAD department and she religiously invited officials for important functions at the consulate and after every foreign trip she allegedly gifted them with latest mobile phones and other gadgets.

“When CCTV visuals were sought the government said they were destroyed in lightening. Later it said some of them can be retrieved. CM’s office knew everything about Swapna and Co. Now they are desperately destroying evidence. We hope NIA will reach them soon,” said Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala. But CPI (M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said both Congress and BJP have aligned to unseat a democratically-elected government. Now all eyes are on the NIA how it will respond to the latest incident and what it will do in pending notice for CCTV visuals.