Fire at MP Nusrat’s home not caused by short circuit, Rural Electrification official says

A four-member investigation committee formed by the home ministry has begun examining the fire at the Kushtia home of reserved-seat member of parliament Nusrat Tabassum.

On Friday morning, committee members inspected the fire-damaged house in Bagowan village of Daulatpur Upazila and recorded statements from witnesses.

An official of the Kushtia Rural Electrification Association told the committee that the incident was not caused by an electrical short circuit.

Tozammel Haque, assistant general manager of the rural electrification authority said the electric metre and the transformer’s circuit fuse showed no signs of damage.

He said these components would typically burn out if a short circuit had caused the fire. He suggests other factors may have been responsible.

The fire broke out around 11:45pm on Wednesday at the MP’s village home. Nusrat filed a case with Daulatpur Police Station on Thursday over the incident.

The committee comprises representatives from the district administration, police, Border Guard Bangladesh, and the Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Nusrat has alleged that the fire was a deliberate act of sabotage, claiming that a “petrol bomb” was thrown at the house.

The administration, however, has said the cause of the fire will be established through an investigation.