Several suspicious matters have emerged regarding the Secretariat fire incident. White powder was found on the sixth to ninth floors of Building no. 7, which was severely damaged in the fire.
Questions have arisen about how the powder ended up in the corridor and whether it is flammable or calcium oxide (lime). Samples have been sent to the CID’s forensic lab and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) lab for analysis.
During the second meeting of the eight-member investigation committee formed by the Cabinet Division, members raised questions about the white powder found in the damaged building. It was reported in the meeting that the test results from the two institutions are expected by Sunday.
The presence of a dead dog was also discussed during the meeting held at the Home Ministry’s Secretariat meeting room. Members questioned whether the dog was there before the fire broke out or came afterward.
Instructions were given to investigate whether the dog was kept in the Secretariat or entered later. A BUET member raised concerns about the damaged fire alarms and water sprinkler in the building.
Home Ministry sources reported that samples of the white powder were collected from the damaged building and sent to the BUET lab. At the same time, it was decided to examine samples from the dead dog.
A devastating fire broke out in Building no. 7 of the Secretariat late Wednesday night, destroying documents, computers, and furniture from five ministries located on the sixth to ninth floors.
The Cabinet Division formed an eight-member investigation committee on Thursday night to determine the cause and source of the fire. Senior Secretary of the Home Ministry Osman Gani was appointed as the committee’s convener.
The first meeting of the committee was held on Friday, followed by the second meeting on Saturday. The committee is scheduled to meet again today, Sunday. An initial report must be submitted by 30 December, with the final report due within 10 working days of the committee’s formation.
No committee members have officially commented on Saturday’s meeting. However, sources said the investigation committee is focusing on the timing of the fire (2:45 am).
Security personnel from the police, fire service, and Public Works Department, responsible for night security at the Secretariat, have been questioned.
Committee member Maksud Helali, a former professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at BUET, stated that the investigation is ongoing. Eyewitness accounts have been collected and are being analysed.
Wednesday, 25 December, was a Christmas holiday, and all government offices were closed. However, it was revealed in the meeting that several unidentified individuals entered the Secretariat that day using temporary passes. Their identities and reasons for being there are under investigation.
Representatives of the affected ministries were present at Saturday’s meeting. They were instructed to submit damage reports by Sunday and questions were raised about the extent of the fire’s spread at that time.
Fire service personnel reported that the fire alarms and water sprinkler nozzles in Building no. 7 were damaged. Questions were raised about why these systems failed and whether the issues had been reported earlier.
The meeting also examined why Local Government Advisor Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan’s office was severely burned.
Officials and employees from the five affected ministries are expected to set up temporary offices at their subordinate organisations starting today.
The Home Ministry has created a special cell to handle applications for temporary passes to enter the Secretariat, named the ‘Special Cell for Temporary Entry Passes.’
Senior Assistant Secretary Touhidul Alam and Office Assistant-cum-Computer Typist Mrityunjay Baroi have been assigned to this cell.
Additionally, a temporary office has been established at the DMP’s Central Command and Control Centre on Abdul Gani Road in Dhaka to process these applications.
prothom alo