Probe panel to submit report on EC building basement fire Thursday

A report on the fire in the basement of the Election Commission or EC headquarters is set to be submitted on Thursday.

The four-strong probe panel formed in the aftermath of the incident on Sunday made the disclosure following its first meeting on Tuesday.

The committee, led by the polling regulator's Additional Secretary Mokhlesur Rahman, were given three working days to present its findings to the EC.

"All the members of the committee sat down for a meeting today (Tuesday). We will sit again tomorrow. We will submit our report to the EC on Thursday," said Mokhlesur.

EC officials believe the fire in the basement of the 12-storey office bloc was sparked by an electrical short-circuit.

Asked about the cause of the fire, Mokhlesur said, "It's not possible to say anything now. All details will be revealed once the work of the committee is finalised and the report submitted to the EC."

The probe panel has been tasked with assessing the economic value of damages from the fire while determining the cause and source of the outbreak. The panel has also been asked to submit recommendations for preventing such incidents in future.

According to the EC's estimations, the fire inflicted around Tk 5 million to Tk 6 million in property damage.

The NID database server located on the 10th floor remained unscathed.

The EVMs were stored on the ground floor while the commission was also considering stashing blank smart cards and printing machines in the building.

Dozens of electronic voting machines or EVMs, four air conditioners, and electric cables were reportedly destroyed by the flames.

The fire service has also formed a panel to probe the incident.