High-powered committee to inquire if secretariat fire was sabotage: Home adviser

A high-powered investigation committee will be formed to probe the fire incident on the sixth floor of Building 7 in the secretariat, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said this morning (26 December).

 

"The committee will comprise five to 11 members," he said during a briefing at the secretariat.

When asked by journalists whether the fire in such a highly secured area could be an incident of sabotage, the adviser said, "Accidents can happen anywhere. I cannot comment without an investigation."

The adviser also expressed sorrow over the loss of firefighter Shoyanur Jaman Noyon who was struck by a truck while crossing the road with a hose to control the fire. He prayed for the eternal peace of the deceased's soul.

Earlier, at around 8:45am, he entered the secretariat after firefighters had doused the fire. 

Housing and Public Works Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan also arrived at the scene around the same time.

"The first report about the fire breaking out in the secretariat came at 1:52am. Several firefighting units reached the scene and started fighting the flames at 1:54am," Fire Service and Civil Defence media cell officer Talha Bin Jasim told The Business Standard at 3:45am.

As the fire's intensity grew, at least 19 units were dispatched there. The firefighters brought the flames under control at around 8:05am, Talha said later.

The fire incident took place at a time when the secretariat had been seeing much tension in recent weeks, with the Public Administration Reform Commission's proposals facing serious protests from officials of different civil service cadres and amid the interim government's investigations into the corruption that took place during the 15-year rule of the Awami League government.