A special team led by Additional Director General of Police Manoj Abraham on Wednesday attempted to address the central question whether the fire at the Secretariat on Tuesday was an act of sabotage, negligence or accident.
The team, which has forensic experts and fire investigators on board, would attempt to understand the origin and cause of the blaze in the coming days. Investigators will try to identify the point of ignition and attempt to trace the fire-flow path in a bid to find out whether it was an act of arson.
Mr Abraham will also look into the fire safety practices followed at the Secretariat. The Electrical Inspectorate is also involved in the safety audit alongside the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA).
The Cabinet, which met here on Wednesday under the stewardship of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, reportedly took a severe view of the fire and the attempt to politicise the incident. It tasked Additional Chief Secretary, Home, T.K. Jose to improve security at the Secretariat.
By one account, the Cabinet expressed dismay that the police and security officers at the Secretariat had not protected Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta “for close to 30 minutes” when he ventured out of the office to persuade protesters to quit the premises.
The Cabinet commended Mr Mehta for trying to appease protesters who trespassed on the Secretariat grounds. The government stressed the need to improve the perimeter security of the building. It also called for higher vetting of staff and visitors. The council also assessed the fire safety of the Secretariat.
The Fire and Rescue Department had earlier found the 19th century vintage Secretariat building a fire risk. It had also found that most of the fire hydrants around the sprawling edifice were defunct.
The meeting also reportedly noted that it had given the files and video footage sought by the NIA. The records lost in the fire were those pertaining to the booking of rooms in government guest houses via the General Administration Department (GAD). The files had back-ups on the computer, and nothing of consequence was lost, it was said at the Cabinet meeting.