Questions swirl around security arrangements in KPI area

After Wednesday's fire incident in the capital's Secretariat, questions have been raised about ensuring the security of important state establishments or KPIs. Although the specific cause is not known, fire service officials said that the fire may have started from an electrical short circuit. However, important officials of the state are reluctant to accept this fire incident as a mere accident. They are claiming that it was an incident of sabotage. In such a situation, after this fire incident in the Secretariat, the heart of the administration, questions have been raised about the security management and infrastructural safety of important state establishments.

According to security analysts, the possibility of such an incident happening in an important place like the Secretariat is very low, unless it is done intentionally. They believe that there can be two types of reasons behind such incidents - extreme negligence or intentional actions. They said that there are many previous examples of such incidents at the Secretariat, where the incidents were planned.

Questions about security management

The incident has once again brought to the fore the weaknesses of the country's administrative infrastructure. The parties concerned are demanding more modern and secure measures to preserve important state documents.

If the fire incident was not a mere accident, someone must have entered the building for sabotage, security analysts said. In that case, there may have been considerable negligence in the security management of the building or someone may have intentionally failed to fulfill security responsibilities properly, analysts say.

Former Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense retired Brigadier General Abu Naeem Md. Shahidullah said that although there should be adequate security arrangements in the KPI area, everyone in charge of security and building management should be held accountable in the event of such a fire.

The security of the Secretariat is carried out by members of the police, other law enforcement, and intelligence forces. The Public Works Department is responsible for the maintenance of the buildings.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, there is one SP and ASP each for the security of the Secretariat; in addition, there are about 560 members of the security force.

The question has been raised whether an outsider can enter such a facility without a security check after such a tight security perimeter.

Senior Assistant Secretary of the Cabinet Division Imrul Hasan himself has raised questions about the security arrangements of the Secretariat. He wrote on his Facebook timeline: "The Engineering Department of the Public Works Department is responsible for all the buildings, interiors, and immovables of the Secretariat, and the police are responsible for its security."

"I and our staff do not have the keys to the rooms we sit in. If the Public Works Department does not open the room, I can't do my office!"

He wrote: "Whenever, in an emergency, if a room needs to be opened at night, the staff of the Public Works Department who have the keys, tell them and write their names, identities, and signatures in the register under their control to enter the room. But they keep the key, they open and close the room."

He demanded a proper investigation into the fire in such a facility late at night.

Experts on the fire incident say that there were local guards here, their security system is part of their business. They think that they need to find out who was in the building on the day of the incident, and who entered it.

Questions about the fire extinguishing system

The fire in the secretariat an important KPI-listed institution of the state is not considered a normal incident. Experts say that the secretariat, as the heart of the administration, should have a full-fledged fire station. There should also be modern fire extinguishing equipment. They have raised questions about the failure of the fire service men inside the Secretariat.

Abu Naeem Md. Shahidullah said that there should be a fire plant there. "Who was deployed in the building where the fire broke out? Who was in the fire service? Did the fire equipment work? An investigation should be conducted considering these."

He said: "KPI-listed institutions as such, there should be a full-fledged fire station there. A turntable ladder is supposed to be used there. Was it there at all? Was there a pump? Why couldn't the ladder enter there? We are hearing, getting news that the Public Works Department has put a canopy over the gate there. The Fire Service has also issued a letter to remove it. But why the Public Works Department did not take that letter seriously, should also be taken into consideration."

Non-availability of CCTV footage

The most sensational aspect of the fire incident is that, where there should be maximum security in an important establishment like the Secretariat, the absence of CCTV devices has caught the eye. The Security Department said that it has become almost impossible to collect any kind of footage as the devices on each floor were damaged in the fire. Moreover, only footage from outside the building is stored in the central device. In this case, it is not possible to get any information from there either.

Investigation committee

The government has formed a new committee to investigate the fire incident at building no 7 of the Secretariat, dissolving the previously formed seven-member committee.

The new eight-member committee will be headed by Nasimul Gani, senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The new committee includes Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam, Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Md Hamidur Rahman Khan, Professor Tanvir Manjur from the Urban Strategy Department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka Cantonment Commandant CMTD Brigadier General Mahbubur Russell, Associate Professor Md Yasir Arafat Khan from the Chemical Engineering Department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Associate Professor Yasir Arafat from the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department at the same university, and the Director General of the Directorate of Fire Service and Civil Defence.

The committee has been tasked with identifying the source and cause of the fire, determining if anyone was involved in the incident, and providing recommendations to prevent such accidents in the future.

The committee has been instructed to submit its report within the next 10 working days. It is also expected to submit a preliminary investigation report by December 30.

Meanwhile, the Fire Service and Civil Defence has formed a five-member committee to investigate the fire incident in the secretariat.

The committee is set to investigate the cause, source, and extent of damage from the fire.

Lieutenant Colonel Tajul Islam Chowdhury, Director of Operations and Maintenance at the Fire Service and Civil Defence Directorate has been appointed as the head of the committee.

The committee has been instructed to submit its report within the next seven working days.