POBNEWS24, Dhaka Dec 26, 2024 : Four floors from the 6th to the 9th floor of Building No. 7 have been burnt to ashes in a fire at the Secretariat, the administrative heart of Bangladesh. The fire service received the news of the fire at 1:52 am on Wednesday. Fire service members reached the spot at 1:54 am, 2 minutes apart. Initially, eight units started working to control the fire. Later, the number of units was increased. Finally, 19 units of the fire service worked to control the fire. The fire was brought under control at 8:05 am on Thursday. After about 10 hours, it was completely extinguished at around 12:15 pm.
The burnt floor housed the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Labor and Employment, Department of Posts and Telecommunications, Local Government Department, Department of Rural Development and Cooperatives and Department of Road Transport and Highways. All important documents of these ministries, computers and everything have now become ruins.
At 12:30 pm, Youth and Sports Ministry Advisor Asif Mahmud inspected the burnt building. At that time, a look of sadness was visible on his face and eyes. After inspecting the building, he left the secretariat silently at 12:43 pm.
Seeing the burnt office, Asif Mahmud, who was saddened, told Brigadier (Retd.) M Sakhawat Hossain that everything is over for us. At that time, Brigadier Sakhawat consoled Asif Mahmud.
Earlier in the morning, in a status posted on his Facebook ID, Asif Mahmud said that we were working on the money laundering and corruption that had occurred in the past in the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. Evidence of looting worth several thousand crores of taka was also found. The extent of the damage caused by the fire is not yet known. He also said that no concession will be given to anyone or anyone involved in this conspiracy to fail us.
A fire service member was killed when a truck ran over him while he was trying to put out the fire. His name is Md. Sohanur Zaman Nayan. The extent of the damage is not known.
The government formed a seven-member committee to investigate the incident on Thursday.
The committee has been asked to submit an investigation report within the next seven working days. Additional Secretary of the District and Field Administration Division of the Cabinet Division, Mohammad Khaled Rahim, has been appointed as the head of this committee.
The fire at the secretariat has raised questions in the public mind after important documents were requested. BNP Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi made this comment at a discussion meeting at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Thursday.
He said that the state intelligence agency is trying to form a political party. If the state intelligence agencies decide who will be elected, then what will be the price of this sacrifice? Meanwhile, the Gana Odhikar Parishad held a protest meeting in front of the National Press Club in the afternoon, blaming the failure of the Yunus government’s advisors for the fire incident and demanded their immediate resignation. The speakers said that they Addressing Usus, he said, “If you don’t resign, your office will also catch fire.” On the night before December 25, miscreants set fire to 17 houses of Christian Tripuras in Tangojhiri Tripurapara of Sarai Union in Lama Upazila in Bandarban. And on December 25, around 1 am, a fire broke out in the Secretariat, the heart of the administration in Dhaka. Two fires on the same day have given rise to a mystery. Md. Siddique, president of the business organization IBFB, spoke about this. He said, “There does not seem to be any connection between the two incidents. The fire incident in Christian Palli in Bandarban is mysterious. The land in that neighborhood was leased in the name of the wife of former IGP Benazir Ahmed during the Awami League government. Benazir Gong evicted the residents of the neighborhood and built a garden there.” He said, “After the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, the residents of the neighborhood came back there, built houses and started living there.” Since there was no church there, they left their houses empty and went to Tripurapara in Tangojhiri on Christmas Day. Finding a deserted area at night, miscreants set fire to the neighborhood and 17 houses were burnt down. The residents did not remember the joy of Christmas.
The US National Security Advisor telephoned our Chief Advisor and told him to provide security to all citizens regardless of religion. After a few days, he felt that it was necessary to find out whether there was any other motive behind such arson and that the government needed to be stricter.
The Chief Advisor’s office informed that in the fire incident at the Lama Christian village in the hilly district of Bandarban, Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Advisor Supradeep Chakma visited the affected area on Thursday afternoon and assured the members of the Tripura Christian community living there of compensation.
