‘Accident or premeditated attempt to get crucial evidence gone’: TMC pleads with EC after Kolkata fire guts 4,000 EVMs | Today’s news

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday raised serious questions after around 4,000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were destroyed in a fire that broke out in a government building in Kolkata’s Alipore area. The party called the incident “mysterious” and demanded answers from the Election Commission of India (ECI).

In a statement shared on X, the TMC claimed that the fire destroyed 4,000 control units, 4,000 voting units and 4,000 VVPAT machines. According to the party, EVMs have been connected to several assembly constituencies including Kasba, Jadavpur, Behala East, Behala West, Metiaburuz, Satgachia and other segments under Diamond Harbor division.

Questioning the circumstances surrounding the fire, former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s party said the Election Commission cannot continue to “hide behind planted stories forever”. The TMC also pointed out that it had earlier sought judicial intervention to preserve the EVMs and CCTV footage, questioning how such an incident could have happened despite these efforts.

The party further suggested that the destruction of the machines warrants a deeper investigation. The TMC raised concerns about the possibility of foul play and asked whether the fire was just an accident or “a calculated attempt to make crucial evidence disappear after tampering with democracy itself”.

“@ECISVEEP can’t hide behind planted stories forever. Judicial intervention was sought earlier to preserve EVMs and CCTV footage. So how can such incidents happen? Was it a mere accident… or a deliberate attempt to make crucial evidence disappear after interfering with democracy itself?” he told TMC.

“It doesn’t seem like a normal fire”: SB minister

West Bengal Minister Kaushik Chowdhury said on Thursday that nearly 4,000 EVMs were destroyed in a fire that engulfed a government building in Kolkata. After registering the FIR, the police started an investigation into the incident.

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A fire broke out in a nine-storey government complex in south Kolkata’s Alipore area on Wednesday. Apart from housing several government departments, the building also housed the South 24 Parganas Zilla Parishad office.

“Around 4,000 EVMs were destroyed in the fire. These EVMs were used in 10 constituencies during this year’s assembly elections in the state,” PTI quoted the minister of state for fire and emergency services as saying. “It does not appear to be a normal fire. We are investigating whether there was any sabotage. It is still not clear how the fire reached the ninth and tenth floors,” Chowdhury said after assessing the situation on the spot.

According to the minister, the fire was first detected on the second and third floors of the building.

“How did it get to the seventh and eighth floors without affecting the fourth, fifth and sixth floors? The whole matter is under investigation,” the minister told reporters.

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Chowdhury said authorities are awaiting a forensic report, which should provide more clarity on the cause and spread of the fire.

Meanwhile, firefighting operations continued almost 24 hours after the fire first broke out. Although no visible flames were seen Thursday morning, officials said the risk of isolated pocket fires remained and could not be completely ruled out.

“There are pocket fires inside the building and they need to be extinguished. The cooling process is on,” a fire official mentioned.

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The South 24 Parganas district administration has lodged a formal complaint with the Alipore police station demanding a detailed investigation into the fire. A complaint was filed by the district Additional District Magistrate (ADM), after which the police registered an FIR and started an investigation.

Investigators are looking into several possibilities, including an electrical fault and other possible causes of the fire. However, officials said no definitive cause of the fire had been established at this stage.

Authorities have closed the building and restricted access as investigators investigate the unusual way the fire spread through several floors. Security and surveillance measures around the campus were also strengthened.

A team of forensic specialists is expected to visit the site to gather evidence and collect samples as part of the investigation. Officials said forensic analysis will play a key role in determining whether the fire was accidental or intentionally caused.