Investigators are yet to confirm if the fire at the Bangladesh Secretariat, the country's administrative nerve centre and a Key Point Installation (KPI) area, was a sabotage or an accident.
The fire at the Secretariat, has raised serious concerns among political leaders, administrative officials and people from various professions, many of whom suspect it was a planned act.
The late night blaze, which broke out on Wednesday (Dec 25) in the Secretariat Building No. 7, has left the nation, including the government's high-ranking officials, deeply worried.
The fire destroyed vital documents of five key ministries and prompted questions about whether this was an accident or a deliberate act of sabotage.
Witnesses and officials working in the Secretariat expressed doubts about the nature of the fire. Witnesses said that the fire started simultaneously in two separate locations, further fuelling suspicion.
Many questioned how such an incident could occur in an area with strict security measures, including numerous security guards and personnel from intelligence agencies.
After the inspection on Friday, Brig Gen Muhammad Jahed Kamal - Director General of the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence and member secretary of the panel - said that the investigation committee has started its work.
Muhammad Jahed Kamal, Director General (DG) of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), said on Friday that the cause of the devastating fire at Building No. 7 of the Bangladesh Secretariat still remains unknown.
He said, "We are not in a position to comment on whether the Secretariat fire was an act of sabotage or an accident. We are here, observing the situation, and further details will be provided after the investigation."
He made this statement in response to questions from reporters after visiting the site on Friday afternoon.
Brig Gen (retd) Ali Ahmed Khan, a former Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence, said, "This is not a simple accident. Fires like this are rarely accidental. The way the fire spread simultaneously in multiple places indicates deliberate arson."
He pointed out, as a KPI area, the Secretariat is under constant surveillance. "There were over 100 security personnel inside and outside. How could no one notice the fire at its early stages? This raises serious doubts," he added.
Brig Gen (retd) Abu Nayeem Md Shahidullah echoed these concerns, calling the incident a 'clear case of sabotage' and suggesting the fire was intended to destroy important documents needed for ongoing investigations.
Members of the investigation committee formed to probe the cause of the fire in Building No. 7 of the Secretariat have inspected the damaged building.
The offices of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, Road Transport and Highways Division, Ministry of Finance, Finance Division, Financial Institutions Division, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Local Government Division, Rural Development and Cooperatives Division, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Posts and Telecommunications Division and the Ministry of Youth and Sports are also located in the nine-storey bloc.
The 8th and 9th floors suffered the most damage, with most of the documents there burnt.
Due to the fire, the power supply was cut off for most of the Secretariat buildings throughout most of the day on Thursday.
Although officials and employees went to the Secretariat, many could not enter their offices or do their work and later left. Practically, the incident brought all of the regular activities at the nerve centre of the Bangladesh administration to a halt.
