Secretariat fire: Police send fan parts to central lab for expert examination

Thiruvananthapuram: Police have sent the samples of the fan to central lab in order to get more clarity into the Secretariat fire incident. Police still maintain their stance that the Secretariat fire was caused from the fan. The latest observation by police is that the fan was not running even though it was switched on.

The possibility of short circuit was ruled out after the forensic examination. The final investigation report of the forensic department dismissed the observation by police that the fire broke out from the fan in the protocol office.

The samples that were submitted in court after examination have been sent to the central lab with the permission of the court. The samples sent include the plastic parts of the fan.

Police believe that the fan was not working in the room, although its switch was turned on. The switch remained on from 9.30 am till evening. The fan started heating up due to the flow of excessive electricity. As a result, its canopy started melting and fell into the files kept beneath the fan.

The samples have been sent to the central lab in order to find out the melting point of the plastic parts. Police explain that forensic lab lacks the technical facilities to identify the melting point.