Around 4,000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were destroyed after a massive fire broke out at a government building in Kolkata's Alipore area, according to reports. The blaze, which engulfed parts of the multi-storey structure, took firefighters nearly 24 hours to bring under control, the Navbharat Times reported.
The fire erupted on Wednesday at a nine-storey government building in south Kolkata that houses several government offices, including the South 24 Parganas Zilla Parishad office. According to state officials, approximately 4,000 EVMs stored in the building were damaged in the incident.
West Bengal Minister of State for Fire and Emergency Services, Kaushik Chowdhury, said the machines had been used in 10 Assembly constituencies during the state's Assembly elections held earlier this year.
After visiting the site, Chowdhury raised questions about the nature of the fire, saying it did not appear to be a routine accident. He noted that the blaze was first spotted on the second and third floors, but later spread to the seventh, eighth and upper floors, prompting concerns about how it moved through the building.
"We are investigating whether there was any act of sabotage. It is still unclear how the fire reached the upper levels of the building," the minister said, adding that authorities are awaiting a forensic report to determine the exact cause of the incident.
Following the fire, an FIR was registered and police launched an investigation. Officials said all possible angles, including foul play, are being examined.
Although visible flames had largely subsided by Thursday morning, fire department officials warned that isolated pockets of fire could still be smouldering inside the building. Cooling operations remain underway to prevent any flare-ups and ensure the structure is completely safe.
Authorities said teams continue to monitor the site as the investigation into one of Kolkata's most significant government building fires in recent years progresses.
