Mysterious fire at Madanapalle Sub Collector's office, CM orders investigation
Tirupati: A fire broke out under mysterious circumstances at the Madanapalle Sub Collector's office Sunday midnight. Crucial documents and other valuables were damaged in the incident.
Taking a serious note of the incident, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu ordered a probe into the incident.
According to RDO Hari Prasad, the fire was first noticed by Nimmanapalle Village Revenue Officer (VRA) Ramana, who was on duty as a watchman. Ramana heard a loud noise from the eastern side of the office at approximately 11 pm and alerted Deputy Tahsildar of Nimmanapalle.
On receiving information to the fire control room, fire tenders were rushed to the spot to extinguish flames. While the extent of damage is still being assessed, officials stated that all documents were gutted in the incident. However, the timing of the incident has raised eyebrows, as the Madanapalle Sub Collector's office is due to be replaced by a new sub-collector soon.
Naidu expressed anger over the incident and called for a high-level review meeting with the Chief Secretary, Director-General of Police, Intelligence Chief and CID Chief. Preliminary reports suggest that several files relating to assigned lands were destroyed in the fire, leading officials to suspect a potential conspiracy rather than an accident.
Naidu asked the DGP to rush to Madanapalle for inspecting the spot and submit a detailed report by evening. The DGP and CID chief are expected to arrive at the Sub-Collector’s office within hours to assess the situation. The investigation will focus on determining whether the fire was a result of a deliberate act or an accident.