A fire broke out at Lakshmipur District Election Office early Saturday after miscreants allegedly poured petrol and set the premises ablaze, damaging several important documents stored on the ground floor.
According to election office sources, the incident occurred around 3:30 AM when attackers broke a window on the ground floor, poured petrol inside the office and ignited the fire. The night guard noticed the blaze and raised an alarm, prompting the miscreants to flee the scene.
Later, Election office staff informed the Fire Service but the fire was brought under control before firefighters arrived. On receiving the information, the district administration, police and election officials visited the site.
District Election Officer Md Abdul Rashid confirmed the incident and said that some documents kept in a storage room were damaged.
“As the fire was detected quickly, major losses were avoided. The cause of the fire and the extent of damage will be determined following an investigation,” he said, adding that legal action would be taken.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Md Rezaul Haque said police are working to identify and arrest those involved. “Operations are underway to trace the perpetrators,” he added.
Security has since been tightened in and around the Lakshmipur District Election Office.
