2 taken into custody over Bengaluru civic agency fire incident

Bengaluru, Aug 12 (IANS) Police in Bengaluru on Saturday took two suspects into custody for negligence in connection to the fire incident at the premises of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), sources said on Saturday.

The sources confirmed that the two people are staff members working at the Quality Control Wing and Laboratory.

Speaking to reporters, Central Division DCP Srinivas Gowda said that BBMP officers had lodged a complaint regarding the incident late Friday night.

Preliminary inquiries have revealed that the fire erupted while testing the quality of bitumen using the benzin chemical.

A team from Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has also inspected the sire and conducting investigations, the DCP said, adding that once the report comes in, the exact cause of the fire will be ascertained.

The nine injured BBMP staffers, including engineers, have suffered 25 to 30 per cent burns in the incident and their statements have been recorded.

The authorities are probing if there was any negligence, whether the permission was taken to conduct the tests, and if due protocol was followed, the DCP explained.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Deputy D.K. Shivakumar visited the spot late Friday late shortly after the incident occurred.