The Hindu : Front Page : Fire in Thiagarajan's office fuels speculation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005

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Front Page

Fire in Thiagarajan's office fuels speculation

Staff Reporter

Papers found burnt in Deputy Mayor's antechamber; Opposition suspects important files were damaged

SMOULDERING REMAINS: The damaged portion of the office of the Deputy Mayor of Chennai Corporation after the fire on Monday. — Photo: M.Vedhan

CHENNAI: A fire broke out at the Deputy Mayor R.Thiagarajan's office in Ripon Buildings here on Monday.

The blaze in the Deputy Mayor's antechamber on the second floor of the civic headquarters spread to the adjoining antechamber of the Chief Engineer (Buildings). An office assistant noticed it around 11 a.m. and raised an alarm.A television set, furniture, two air conditioners, a fax machine and parts of false-roofing were damaged and some papers were found burnt.

Employees making preparations for Ayudha Pooja celebrations rushed out of the heritage building when they saw smoke billowing out. Fire and Rescue Services Director S.K.Dogra and Corporation Commissioner M.P.Vijayakumar, who rushed back from a meeting from the Secretariat, inspected the damage.

Opposition party councillors, including DMK leader C.V.Malayan and Congress leader R.Mano, said the accident could not have happened under more suspicious circumstances, as Mr.Thiagarjan, remained "elusive" over the past two weeks.

The Deputy Mayor had not attended office for a fortnight, which gave rise to speculation that he is in hiding. Over phone he had told media houses that the speculation was baseless and that he would return to city last week. Recently, the Madras High Court asked the Government to provide security to Mr. Thiagarajan and his family after his wife moved the court saying the police were planning a `fake encounter' to eliminate him.

Sabotage?

Opposition parties suspect sabotage behind the fire. The papers found burnt led to the doubt that some important files had been damaged. Corporation officials did not want to speculate on the issue and said they would await a report from the Fire and Rescue Services. They claimed that every room in Ripon Buildings was equipped with electrical circuit breaker system. However, fire due to electrical short circuit could not be ruled out, they added.

The police are investigating.

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