Kerala Secretariat fire: Chennithala writes to Guv alleging links with no-trust motion

Leader Of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday wrote to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan over the fire that broke out at the Kerala Secretariat yesterday, alleging that there were links between the incident and the no-confidence motion that had been passed in the Kerala assembly earlier in the day. 

Listing out the sequence of events starting from the tabling of the no-confidence motion to the fire that broke out at the Secretariat, the Congress leader alleged that the state government's recent actions had 'cast a reasonable doubt on the conduct of the Chief Minister and several others.' The leader requested the Governor to step in and exercise his constitutional duty to 'avert the interference of senior members' who were allegedly 'destroying and withholding key evidence' from the investigative agencies.

Read: Kerala HC Rejects Govt Plea Against CBI Probe Into Murder Of Congress Workers

Read: COVID-19 Tally In Kerala Crosses 60,000 Mark With 2,375 Cases

Fire breaks out at Kerala Secretariat

On August 25, a fire was reported in the General Administrative Department (political) section of the Secretariat. This section handles many sensitive files including the ones related to the UAE Consulate, Swapna Suresh, and suspended bureaucrat M Sivasankar, primary accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case. The fire which was first detected in one of the computers soon engulfed a portion of the office. 

Only two employees were present in the office due to COVID-19 related restrictions. Within a span of 15 minutes, the fire was doused with the help of the Fire and Rescue Department. As per reports, no major files barring for those pertaining to the booking of the guest house rooms have been destroyed in the fire. 

After a fire broke out in the protocol office of the Kerala Secretariat on Tuesday, the Opposition BJP and the Congress demanded a high-level probe into the incident. They alleged that important files relating to the gold smuggling case, among others, were destroyed while the Kerala government suspected a 'conspiracy' by both parties.

"We fear that there are elements who sabotaged inquiry (of Kerala Gold Smuggling case). There are very important files in the Protocol Office. It does not have any security. Had there been security, it would not have happened," BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan said.

Read: Fire At Kerala Secretariat: MoS MEA Alleges Attempt To Bury Gold Smuggling Case Evidence

Read: Kerala Secretariat Fire: BJP, Congress Claim Gold Smuggling Case Proof Destroyed By Govt