THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Crime Branch has stated that there was no sabotage behind the fire that broke out in the protocol section of the Secretariat last year. In its final investigation report, the Crime Branch stated that the fire was caused by the motor of a fan that got overheated.

As per the report, a fan inside the office got overheated and this caused the melting of the plastic cover. Following this, the melted plastic fell on paper and this led to the spread of fire. The report, which criticizes the cleaning workers while giving clean chit to the officers of the protocol section, was submitted to the Judicial First Class Magistrate (Three) Court.

According to the Crime Branch, the documents that got destroyed in the fire were not crucial. The report stated that the fire broke out as the cleaning staff forgot to turn off the fan after completing their work. The crime branch submitted its final report a year after the fire broke out.

The fire broke out on the evening of August 25, 2020. The fan, which was turned on at 9.30 am, continued to operate until 3.30 pm when its motor overheated and melted. The report said that upon checking the mobile tower location of the officers of the protocol office, it was found that none of them had reached the office at the time of the fire. Apart from the negligence of the cleaning workers, there was nothing behind the fire. The report also recommended a department-level investigation regarding the discovery of liquor bottles from the protocol section.