Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 19, 2009:
Nearly Rs 30,000 worth of items kept in the Establishment Section of RIMS' Administrative Block were found destroyed by fire that broke out at around midnight yesterday.
According to a police report, the blaze was detected at about 0030 hour of September 19 with strong suspicion that the miscreant/s might have set fire to the office room through the window.
It is also being speculated that either petrol or kerosine might have been used to start the fire even as information has been received that a blast-like sound was heard before detection of the inferno.
items consumed by the inferno include a fax machine, steel chairs and large volume of official records which were kept inside the office room.
At the time of the incident, a caretaker and a telephone operator were present at the Administrative Block while the private security guards were at the main hospital block.
Initially, personnel of the private security agency tried to put off the blaze using fire extinguishers from the Block as well as from the RIMS Jubilee Hall.
However, after arrival of Fire service personnel the blaze could be completely extinguished thereby preventing a major disaster.
Police have recovered two partially burnt plastic bottles from the incident site with remnants of liquid substance, said a source.
even as an FIR case has been registered at the Lamphel police station, experts of the State's Forensic Science in scouting the incident site recovered a third bottle with burner.
Sources speculate that there is high possibility of involvement of some of the 17 employees, suspended in connection with an alleged fund misuse case, in the incident.
The 17 employees are currently under suspension following detection of irregularity, in terms of crores, in the collection of revenues at the ticket counter.
It is strongly believed that attempts were made by some of the suspended employees to destroy documents stored at the office room of the Establishment Section to escape further punitive action.
Mention may also be made that in May 25 last year, RIMS Hospital was rocked by a bomb blast triggered by unidentified miscreants.