A major fire broke out at Satpura Bhawan, a six-storey building that houses several departments of the Madhya Pradesh government, in Bhopal on Monday evening. No casualties were reported, but documents related to departments such as tribal welfare and higher education are likely to have been destroyed. The fire reportedly started on the third floor due to a short circuit in an air conditioner and spread to other floors due to wind.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Home Minister Amit Shah about the fire and sought assistance in extinguishing it. Prime Minister Modi assured Chouhan of all possible help from the central government. The Chief Minister also requested the assistance of the Indian Air Force (IAF), and an AN-32 aircraft and MI-15 helicopter are scheduled to join the firefighting efforts.
Bhopal Collector Ashish Singh mentioned that resources from various avenues, including the Army, airport, and the Bhopal Municipal Corporation, were mobilized, and 40 fire tenders were deployed. The presence of paper files and wooden furniture in the building made the firefighting process more challenging.
In response to the incident, Chief Minister Chouhan announced the formation of a four-member committee to investigate the preliminary cause of the fire. Satpura Bhawan is situated near Vallabh Bhawan, the State secretariat of the Madhya Pradesh government.
Leaders from the opposition Congress party questioned the timing of the fire, suggesting that it occurred “in an election year” and alleging that it was a plot to destroy evidence of scams. Congress leaders made claims on social media that documents related to alleged scams were burnt in the fire. It’s worth noting that fires had previously occurred in the building, including one in 2018, as reported by TV channels.
Please keep in mind that this is a summary based on the information provided and may not capture all the details or subsequent developments.
