Several crucial documents may have been destroyed in the Lal Bahadur Shastri Common Room of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kharagpur after a fire broke out at this institute in the early hours of Sunday, July 2. Institute sources said the blaze in the common room was noticed by security personnel at around 3 am when students, researchers, and staff members were fast asleep.
Panic soon spread among the residents after the entire campus was covered with black smoke. However, no casualty or injury has been reported so far. The local fire service station was contacted immediately. Fire tenders rushed to the spot and the fire was brought under control after rigorous fire-fighting that lasted over a couple of hours.
The source of the fire was a storeroom near the common room. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The fire officials suspect that a short circuit could be the reason. However, questions are being raised about the fire prevention measures at the iconic technology institute. It may be noted that a similar fire broke out at IIT- Kharagpur in March 2021 as well. No casualty or loss of property was reported then.