Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has sought explanations after a blaze at a government complex in Kolkata’s Alipore area destroyed about 4,000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Describing the incident as “mysterious”, the party pressed the Election Commission of India (ECI) for clarification over how it occurred.
In a post on X, the TMC said the blaze destroyed 4,000 control units, 4,000 ballot units and 4,000 VVPAT machines. The party added that the machines were linked to several Assembly constituencies, including Kasba, Jadavpur, Behala East, Behala West, Metiaburuz, Satgachia and other segments under the Diamond Harbour subdivision.
Questioning how the fire occurred, the TMC accused the Election Commission of trying to conceal the matter and said judicial oversight had previously been sought to preserve EVMs and CCTV footage. The party asked how such an incident could take place despite those efforts, as reported by Mint.
The TMC also called for a thorough inquiry into the destruction. Expressing concern about possible foul play, the party asked whether the fire was an accident or “a calculated attempt to make crucial evidence vanish after tampering with Democracy itself.”
“@ECISVEEP cannot keep hiding behind planted narratives forever. Judicial intervention was previously sought to preserve EVMs and CCTV footage. Then how can such incidents happen? Was this merely an accident…or a calculated attempt to make crucial evidence vanish after tampering with Democracy itself?” TMC said.
Unusual Blaze Raises Suspicion
State minister Kaushik Chowdhury said nearly 4,000 EVMs were destroyed when the blaze engulfed the nine-storey government complex in Alipore, and police have registered an FIR as part of an investigation.
The fire began on Wednesday at the building, which houses several government departments and the office of the South 24 Parganas Zilla Parishad. “Around 4,000 EVMs were destroyed in the fire. Those 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. “It does not appear to be a normal fire. We are examining whether there was any sabotage. It is still not clear how the fire reached the ninth and tenth floors,” Chowdhury said after inspecting the site.
The minister said the fire was first noticed on the second and third floors. “How did it reach the seventh and eighth floors without affecting the fourth, fifth and sixth floors? The entire matter is under investigation,” he told reporters.
Chowdhury said investigators were awaiting a forensic report that should clarify the cause and the fire’s spread.
Firefighting continued nearly 24 hours after the blaze began. While visible flames were absent on Thursday morning, authorities warned that isolated pocket fires could still be present and needed to be extinguished. “There are pocket fires inside the building, and they need to be doused. The cooling process is on,” a fire department official said.
The South 24 Parganas administration has filed a formal complaint with Alipore police station asking for a full probe; the district’s Additional District Magistrate (ADM) lodged the complaint, after which police registered an FIR and opened an investigation.
Investigators are examining several possibilities, including an electrical fault, but have not yet pinpointed a cause. Authorities have cordoned the building, limited access and increased security while probing the fire’s atypical spread.
Forensic teams are expected to comb the site for evidence and collect samples; officials say lab analysis will be key to establishing whether the blaze was accidental or deliberate.
