Indore, March 20 (IANS) The recent fire incident in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore that claimed eight human lives has already raised several questions, including the absence of any regulation for setting up electric vehicle charging stations, a survivor and member of the aggrieved family, Saurabh Pugalia, claimed on Friday that the electric car, which exploded during the incident, was not connected with the charging point, will be investigated by the police.

The preliminary investigation by the Indore police has suggested that the fire incident occurred following an explosion from an EV charging point installed outside the house, Saurabh Pugalia, the son of businessman Manoj Pugalia, who was one of victims in the tragic incident, has publicly rejected police’s initial finding, saying that no vehicle was plugged in at the time of the incident.

Saurabh has said that although the family often used to charge their electric car, it wasn’t plugged in with the charging point on Tuesday night.

“If nothing was plugged in, how could the charging point cause a fire or short circuit?” he asked.

He also denied police’s other initial finding that the electronic door locks delayed rescue efforts after the power supply was cut, claiming that “there were no electronic locks in the house and anyone can verify this”.

However, police said the multiple authorities, including the fire department, civic body and Indore district administration, have inspected the site and started their investigations, and their findings will be crucial to reach to any conclusion.

“Police investigation is still at the initial stage. The forensic science laboratory team has collected some samples from the site. Some other agencies, including the fire department, district administration and others are also investigating the incident. Once the investigations are done and reports from all the agencies are collected, we will analyse the reports and take further steps,” Tilak Nagar Station House Officer Manish Lodha told IANS on Friday.

The police officer also said that the investigation is being done from all possible angles, including electrical faults, structural factors, and response protocols.

Responding to Saurabh’s claims and his denial on police versions regarding the incident, Lodha said, “See, we can’t deny anyone’s claim of what has caused the incident, but we are focused on our investigation and to find out the exact reason. Again, I would say that multiple agencies are investigating the case, therefore, let’s wait for their findings.”

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had also visited the aggrieved family during his visit to Indore on Thursday and expressed his concerns over the use of electrical appliances such as air conditioners in enclosed spaces and emphasised the need for regular inspection of electrical circuits in homes and commercial establishments.

During the meeting with Chief Minister Yadav, Saurabh had told him that the fire was not caused by the vehicle charging process itself, but by a short circuit at an electric pole.

Eight people, including two minors, were killed after a massive fire engulfed a three-storey residential building following an explosion either from the charging point or an electric pole (under investigation) in Brijeshwari Annexe Colony under the Tilak Nagar police station area in Indore early Wednesday morning.

–IANS

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