Asked about the detailed list of materials lost in the blaze, police stated that the full extent of the damage is still being determined.

“The SIT investigation was initiated on Friday. As of now, the search and seizure is continuing at the site with the help of forensics teams and staff of DM office,” a senior Kolkata Police officer said.

The fire broke out around 9:50am at the South 24 Parganas Zilla Parishad administrative building, which houses several critical state government departments. Among the offices in the building is that of arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Jahangir Khan, who served as the Zilla Parishad’s Karmadakshya.

Meanwhile, the fire incident has raised eyebrows within the state administration. Fire Minister Kaushik Chowdhury, who visited the spot on Thursday to assess the situation, pointed out discrepancies in how the flames spread through the high-rise.

“Preliminary investigation suggests that the fire started on the third or fourth floor. We wonder how it reached the eighth and ninth floors. The fifth, sixth and seventh floors in between were not damaged,” Chowdhury said.

“Apart from a few government offices, including one linked to the midday meal scheme in schools, around 4,000 EVMs were destroyed. They were kept on the eighth and ninth floors. There were EVMs from around 10 Assembly constituencies,” he said.

The incident has also triggered a political backlash, with the Opposition pointing towards the Election Commission and questioning the security of democratic infrastructure.

The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) took to social media, calling the incident a “calculated attempt” to remove evidence.

In a post on X, the party questioned the nature of the fire, detailing that 4,000 Control Units, 4,000 Ballot Units, and 4,000 VVPATs were lost. The machines were linked to critical Assembly segments, including Kasba, Jadavpur, Behala East, Behala West, Metiaburuz, Satgachia, and multiple constituencies under the Diamond Harbour sub-division.

“‘MYSTERIOUSLY’ DESTROYED IN FIRE! 4,000 Control Units, 4,000 Ballot Units. 4,000 VVPATs, Linked to Kasba, Jadavpur, Behala East, Behala West, Metiaburuz, Satgachia and multiple assembly constituencies under Diamond Harbour sub-division. @ECISVEEP cannot keep hiding behind planted narratives forever,” the TMC posted on X.

“Judicial intervention was previously sought to preserve EVMs and CCTV footage. Then how can such incidents happen? Was this merely an accident…or a calculated attempt to make crucial evidence vanish after tampering with Democracy itself?” it added.