The government Thursday formed an 8-member high-level probe committee to look into the secretariat fire and submit a preliminary report in three days, after holding an emergency meeting over the exigency.
The decision was made at meeting of the advisers presided over by Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus, said environment affairs adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan while addressing a media briefing, organised by the Chief Adviser's Press Wing.
Senior Secretary of the Home Minister will head the committee comprising secretary of Public Works Ministry, IGP, the head of fire service and civil defence, an explosives expert from the army, and three experts from the BUET.
"They have been assigned to find out the reason behind the fire--whether it was an act of sabotage or an accident," Ms Rizwana said.
Asked whether it was part of conspiracy against the post-uprising government, she said, "None should speculate about this incident until getting the final report."
The government has taken this incident very seriously and is committed to finding out the real reason behind it, she mentioned.
"It is a question of national security, and important documents of the state are also kept there," she reminds.
Responding to a question she said that an explosives expert is included in the probe committee to find whether gunpowder was found on the incident spot.
Adviser Asif Mahmud said that five ministries, including the post and telecommunications, LGED, sports and youth, Roads and highways and tourism, were affected in the overnight blaze.
"We have formed a ministerial committee to assess how many documents are left recoverable," he told the journalists.
In this connection, he said that the ministry recently got primary information about a huge scam in projects in Pirojpur district and was looking into the matter.
"Initially we thought that those documents might be the target but later we found that most of the documents of those projects are kept in Pirojpur district offices," he added.
He also mentioned that the government got primary evidence of the involvement of former principal secretary Tofazzal Hossain in the LGED- project scam.
Steps are taken to relocate the offices of the affected ministry to other places, the local government adviser said.
Responding to a question, home affairs adviser Lt-General (Rtd) Jahangir Alam said 560 security personnel are usually engaged for the security of the secretariat under an SP.
He said that CCTV cameras were installed in the secretariat and already some footages were collected from those cameras.
Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser Shafiqul Alam moderated the briefing.
Responding to a question, Ms Rizwana said the government is following due legal process to punish the bureaucrats who committed "criminal offence in collaboration with the past fascist government".
"We have to find out the perpetrators and at the same time we have to keep the momentum of the public administration," she pointed out.
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