MSU in flames twice in two months

Vadodara: M S University head office caught fire for the second time within a span of just over two months on Wednesday evening.
The fire started in the old syndicate room located on the first floor of the university’s head office at 6.30pm.

The room was being used for central assessment centre by the examination section. Prima facie, officials suggested that the fire started due to a short circuit in the room which was locked.

“We were sitting in our office when we felt a strong odour of smoke. Later, when we started inspecting the corridor on the first floor, we noticed smoke coming out of the room. We immediately alerted the fire brigade officials,” said Darshan Maru, MSU’s deputy registrar (exam).

According to the university rules, the keys of the room where central assessment of answer sheets is carried out remains with the subject co-ordinators.

“We broke the door open but due to the direction of the wind, the fire was gushing out. However, the team of fire brigade officials doused the fire within 15 minutes and we could save the answer sheets,” Maru added.

“The fire did not damage the answer books. The fire did not reach the cupboard where the answer books of students who had appeared in semester five ATKT exams of BSc and semester 3 ATKT exams of MSc were kept. However, the fire has partially damaged a bundle of extra question papers which were kept on a cupboard. The answer sheets have been shifted and they are completely safe,” said professor Hari Kataria, vice-dean of Faculty of Science, who had rushed to the spot after the incident.

However, the ceiling made of plaster of paris and chairs inside the room were completely damaged.

Earlier this year on February 2, Chandra Mohan, a former student of Faculty of Fine Arts, had set the university head office on fire. “Frustrated” with the delay made by the university officials in declaring his results which are withheld since 2007, he threw petrol from a plastic bottle on the door of vice-chancellor’s chamber and lit it with a matchstick.

The artist was in judicial custody after he was denied bail by a sessions court. Gujarat High Court recently rejected his bail application.