Madanapalle Fire Probe Expands To Land Records and Revenue Officials

 Tirupati: The probe into the fire at Madanapalle sub collector's office entered its third day on Wednesday with officials zeroing in on retrieving "Mula Patralu" (original documents). The fire, suspected to be the handiwork of a politician, has destroyed important lad records.

Annamayya SP Vidyasagar Naidu ordered transfer of circle inspector Wali Basu for failing to inform authorities about the fire. Two constables on night duty were also suspended for similar lapses.

Scope of the probe has expanded to include revenue officials suspected to be involved in the fire. Fire services director Venkata Ramana visited the site on Wednesday to assess the situation. Personnel from the National Institute of Fire Safety Engineering units in Nagpur and Bhilai are also expected to join the probe Thursday.

Officials have identified 25 types of destroyed documents including

records related to 22A assigned and dotted lands, civil cases, web

land amendment, mutations, appeals, land conversions, among many others. The district administration has dispatched teams to various Tahsildar offices to secure copies of relevant documents.

Police searched for Madhava Reddy, a follower of former YSRC minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy. Madhava is suspected to have had a hand in the fire. Allegations of widespread land grabbing surfaced against him with a complainant claiming that his lands were forcibly occupied

by Madhava Reddy. Reddeppa also alleged that lands in Basinikonda

were forcibly registered under the name of a prominent YSRC leader's wife.