Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Reprographic centre fire: police suspect sabotage

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM JUNE 6. Experts from the Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) and the Electrical Inspectorate examined the scene of fire at the State Audio Visual And Reporgraphic Centre in which printed paper and newsprint worth lakhs of rupees was destroyed on Wednesday night.

The City Police Commissioner, Rajan Singh, who inspected the godown attached near the Web Offset press on Thursday, said a deliberate sabotage attempt could be the cause for the fire. However, the investigation was at a preliminary stage and no conclusions could be drawn at this stage, he said.

The police was probing whether the fire incident has any connection with the ongoing agitation of employees of the centre. The destroyed material included ration cards, eight standard text books, Government publicity material and magazines.

The CI (Peroorkada), B. Sasidharan, who has been placed in charge of the investigation said that fire had started near one of the windows of the godown. "The fire could have been started by lighting a piece of paper. There is no evidence that kerosene or petrol was used to start the fire. There is no evidence to term the fire as an accident. It could be a deliberate attempt,'' he said.

The Electrical Inspectorate has also ruled out the possibility that the fire was due to an electrical short circuit, official sources said. Meanwhile, police investigators have questioned several staff members and guards who were on duty at the Reporgraphic centre. The investigation would cover all aspects of the incident, including the conspiracy angle, senior officials said.

The fire which started at 10 p.m. on Wednesday was first noticed by the security guards and policemen posted at the centre. The Fire Brigade was alerted. More than four engines and Fire Force personnel fought for nearly an hour to douse the blaze.

Meanwhile, the Kerala State Audio-Visual and Reprographic Centre Employees League have demanded a free and fair inquiry into the blaze. In a statement here, the association general secretary, Kazhakottam.A.Najmudeen, said that the Government should take steps to re-instate the 50-odd temporary employees who had been working on a daily wages basis at the centre. The AITUC has also demanded a free fair enquiry into the blaze.

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