Secretariat fire: Police rejects conspiracy theory, releases graphic video

The police have rejected the conclusions attributed to forensic reports in connection with the fire at protocol division at the state secretariat, which appeared in a section of the media.

While rejecting the conspiracy theory behind the incident, the police reiterated that the fire started from the fan. Liquor bottles did not catch fire, it said.

The police said the liquor bottles were recovered from a Cabin which is a little away from the place which caught fire. There was no liquor left in the bottles. An explanation was sought on the matter from the officials who were using the cabin. 

The police also released a graphic video which makes it clear that the fire started from the fan. The police have decided to send the material objects collected from the site of the fire incident to the national laboratory for expert analysis.

The police conclusions that rule out conspiracy theory.

The police report makes it clear that the fan manufactured in 2013 had presented recurring electrical problems. There is a possibility that the fan after running continuously got heated up and the fire might have occurred when melted plastic fell on the papers lying on the shelves. No materials which could have triggered the fire have been recovered from the spot.

The Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) of the fan which was completely gutted was also found in a tripped condition. There is a possibility of MCB tripping if a short circuit happens in electrical wire connected with the fan.

The report says only visual and microscopic examination was conducted at the Forensic Laboratory. The material objects will be sent to the National Laboratory for expert analysis. The electric circuit of the gutted fan has been retained in case expert analysis is required at a later stage.

Since there is no facility for examining the plastic that got melted in the fire at the forensic laboratory, the same will be sent to the National Laboratory for further analysis.   A number of officials were questioned in connection with the incident and more than 30,000 phone call records were examined. An empty bottle of sanitizer was recovered from the spot but the scientific examination concluded that it didn’t cause the fire. 

The police met 98 witnesses including chief electrical officers, FSL experts and fire and rescue services personnel, recorded their statements and explanation. As many as 45 material objects were sent for forensic examination, 70 documents were examined and 48-hour footage captured on the CCTV cameras installed in the incident area were examined. About 222 persons who figured in the CCTV camera visuals were identified and contacted, details were gathered from them. The police examined 4830 physical files which were in the area.

The police report said the files sought by the central agencies have been kept in safe custody.