A large number of important official files, papers, note sheets along with documents and data stored in computers are feared to have been gutted in an inferno that engulfed the Madhya Pradesh government’s directorate building, Satpura Bhavan, here on Monday.

The fire that broke out at around 3.30 pm on Monday was finally brought under control at around 6.30 am on Tuesday morning, after more than 15 hours, according to officials.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a high-level meeting with some ministers and senior officials at the CM House early in the morning to review the situation. Home Minister Narottam Mishra, Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains, DGP Sudhir Saxena and other senior officials attended the meeting and apprised the CM about the latest situation and the possible losses caused by the fire.

Following the meeting, Narottam Mishra claimed there were no important documents and files inside the Satpura Bhavan. He said this is a digital age and almost all documents are stored at various points at different levels. He assured that the documents and files would be recreated and restored.

On the other hand the Opposition targeted the state government over the incident. Congress leaders alleged that the fire could be the result of a conspiracy.

Congress Chief Spokesperson K K Mishra claimed he had already predicted that such an incident was most likely to take place very soon.

Former minister in the previous Congress government, Arun Yadav, asked whether this incident was an attempt to burn down all incriminating documents related to scams.

Another former minister and Congress leader P C Sharma said whenever such a fire occurs in an important government building in an election year, it indicates the defeat of the ruling party.

Incidentally, a similar fire had engulfed the Satpura Bhavan in 2018 too before the State Assembly polls that year. The BJP had lost to the Congress in those elections and was voted out of power.

Assembly elections in MP are scheduled to take place this year too.

Sources said there was no fire alarm system functional inside the Satpura Bhavan. Sources also claimed that no fire audit had been conducted for the past four years.

According to sources, thousands of documents, around 150 computers, 60 air conditioners, nearly 80 almirahs and other items including furniture, lights and fans have been destroyed due to the fire.

The initial reason for the fire is being surmised as a short circuit, which led to a blast in an air conditioner and then spread to other places. The fire broke out at around 3.30 pm on the third floor and then took a dangerous shape after spreading upwards to the fourth, fifth and sixth floors too.

Teams of firefighters from Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and police fire brigade along with around 120 fire tenders from other districts were deployed along with the army jawans, NDRF and SDERF workers to bring the fire under control.

Besides apprising PM Narendra Modi and defense minister Rajnath Singh about the incident, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan constituted a four-member committee to probe the incident. The committee includes ACS Home Rajesh Rajora, PS Urban Administration Neeraj Mandloi, PS PWD Sukhbir Singh and ADG Police Fire Services.

Home Minister Narottam Mishra said the committee would submit its report to the CM after three days.

The Satpura Bhavan houses the directorates and offices of more than a dozen departments. It is one of the two directorate buildings of the state government. The other one is the Vindhyachal Bhavan.

Both the directorate buildings are situated across each other with a huge garden and roads separating them. The two buildings are located diagonally in front and to the right and left respectively, of the State Secretariat, the Vallabh Bhavan.