On Wednesday, 10 June 2026, a massive fire tore through the New Administrative Building in Alipore, South Kolkata, destroying approximately 4,000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs, including Control Units, Ballot Units, and VVPATs). The fire is highly suspicious because it originated on the 3rd and 4th floors but mysteriously skipped the middle levels to engulf the 9th and 10th floors where the high-security EVM strongroom is located long after the building’s power supply had been disconnected.
State Fire Services Minister Koushik Chowdhury and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have raised strong concerns about sabotage and a deliberate attempt to destroy election evidence, while opposition parties point toward government administrative failure. In the latest developments, Kolkata Police have registered a criminal case and formed a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) alongside forensic experts to determine whether the blaze was an accident or a planned act of foul play.
The Outbreak at the Zilla Parishad
The incident began on Wednesday morning around 9:50 AM at the multi-storey New Administrative Building in Alipore, which houses the South 24 Parganas district headquarters and various state departments. Firefighters initially battled an intense blaze that broke out on the third floor, heavily fueled by wooden furniture, air conditioners, and stacks of paper files.
Ten fire tenders were dispatched immediately, but the accumulation of thick, toxic smoke made entry through the stairwells exceptionally difficult. It ultimately took emergency personnel nearly 24 hours to entirely contain the fire and complete cooling operations.
The Spatial Anomaly: Skipping Floors
What has mystified investigators and sparked public concern is the erratic trajectory of the fire. The initial blaze was successfully contained on the 3rd and 4th floors by late morning. However, around 12:30 PM, a secondary fire suddenly erupted on the 9th and 10th floors, where the Alipore Sadar strongroom is located. Crucially, the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th floors remained completely untouched by the flames.
Because the main electrical grid to the entire building had already been cut off when the first fire broke out, investigators note that a standard electrical short-circuit cannot logically explain how the top floors caught fire later.
Crucial Electoral Evidence Turned to Ashes
The State Government confirmed that the fire completely destroyed around 4,000 EVMs. These machines were vital because they were used just weeks earlier in 10 high-profile Assembly constituencies—including Kasba, Jadavpur, Behala East, Behala West, Metiaburuz, and Satgachia during the state assembly elections whose results were declared on 4 May.
Under Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines, these machines must be kept securely sealed for a mandatory 45-day period after results are announced to allow for any legal challenges or election petitions in the High Court. The fire struck just before this protective legal window expired, destroying the physical evidence of those votes.
High-Level Probe and Political Clash
The strange nature of the fire has triggered an intense political argument in West Bengal. The ruling regional leadership questioned how such a major breach could occur in a maximum-security zone, suggesting a calculated attempt to make crucial election evidence vanish. In response, opposition parties blamed the state administration for failing to safeguard critical government infrastructure. To ensure an uncompromised investigation, Kolkata Police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police alongside veteran detective department inspectors. Forensic teams have already collected samples from the site to test for chemical accelerants, and Election Commission engineers are waiting to inspect the individual remains of the voting machines.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
In a healthy democracy, the absolute transparency and safety of the voting process are sacred. The mysterious destruction of 4,000 EVMs within a high-security government building is deeply unsettling and harms public trust in administrative systems. While political groups trade accusations, what the citizens truly deserve is clarity, truth, and a thoroughly transparent investigation completely free from political pressure.
Accidents can occur, but when the physical evidence of citizens’ votes is permanently lost right before a legal deadline, it risks causing deep institutional cynicism. We urge all stakeholders to move away from hostile blame games and support a quiet, rigorous forensic inquiry. Preserving democratic faith requires unwavering accountability, empathy for public anxiety, and a shared commitment to protecting the transparency of our voting system.
Also Read: Fir Filed Against Mamata Banerjee Over Alleged Inflammatory Speech Ahead Of West Bengal Elections
The @ECISVEEP must clarify whether these 4,000 EVMs were indeed used in the recent West Bengal elections. Otherwise, we can't help but wonder whether this was truly an accidental fire or the same convenient and mysterious kind of blaze that, in Bollywood movies, always seems to… pic.twitter.com/ryGzf2KgGB
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 ಪವನ್ ಖೇರಾ (@Pawankhera) June 12, 2026
