‘Very fishy’: Congress raises questions after fire at education ministry office
Fire department officials say a detailed assessment of damage and cause of blaze will be carried out once cooling operations are completed
The Congress on Monday expressed concern over a fire that broke out at the Ministry of Education office in central Delhi, with senior party leader Jairam Ramesh describing the incident as "very fishy" and calling for closer scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the blaze.
The fire erupted on the second floor of the Ministry of Education office housed within the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) campus in Delhi's ITO area.
According to officials, the Delhi Fire Service received an emergency call at around 9:37 am and immediately dispatched eight fire tenders to the scene. Firefighters brought the blaze under control after a prompt response, while all occupants were evacuated safely.
No casualties or injuries were reported.
Reacting to the incident, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh questioned the circumstances surrounding the fire.
"The news of a fire in the education ministry's offices is very concerning. It is also very fishy," Ramesh said in a post on X.
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire. Officials said an investigation has been launched to establish how the blaze started and whether any damage was caused to official records or infrastructure.
The incident comes amid heightened political scrutiny of the Ministry of Education over the ongoing CBSE On-Screen Marking (OSM) controversy, which has triggered a war of words between the opposition and the government in recent weeks.
Fire department officials said a detailed assessment of the damage and the cause of the blaze will be carried out once cooling operations are completed.
With PTI inputs