BHOPAL: A pre-dawn fire in a triple-storey house of a business family in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, reportedly caused by an electric short circuit during electric vehicle (EV) charging on Thursday, has prompted authorities to work on developing EV-related standard operating procedures (SOPs).
The state’s Urban Administration and Housing Minister, Kailash Vijayvargiya, who was among the public representatives to rush to the scene, said, “I’ve asked the Indore Divisional Commissioner and District Collector to form a panel of experts to guide the development of SOPs related to all aspects of electric vehicles, including EV charging. I know an expert from Indore who has now moved to Dubai; if necessary, we will rope in the concerned expert from Dubai.”
“At a time when people are rapidly switching to EVs, particularly amid the uncertainty over crude oil prices and supply due to the West Asia conflict, SOPs are essential for safe use of EVs, particularly at charging stations,” he added.
The Indore District Collector, Shivam Verma, while confirming that the blaze was triggered by an electric short circuit during EV charging just outside the house, said, “We will soon involve experts from IIT-Indore to develop the necessary safeguards and SOPs for EV use, including charging.”
Madhya Pradesh had enacted the Madhya Pradesh Electric Vehicle Policy 2025, notified in March 2025, to accelerate EV adoption, support manufacturing, and build infrastructure. The policy offers 100% exemptions on road tax and registration fees, subsidies for charging stations, and designates five cities, Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Ujjain, as “EV Model Cities.”
Referring to the Indore blaze, the state’s Chief Minister, Dr Mohan Yadav, posted on X on Wednesday: “A new challenge has emerged from the accident caused by electric car charging in Indore. Considering its seriousness, officials have been instructed to conduct a systematic investigation. We will work towards preventing such incidents and raising awareness. The use of facilities like digital locks is necessary, but vigilance and caution are equally essential.”
Earlier, Indore Police Commissioner Santosh Singh noted that the rescue team faced delays entering the house because the electronic locking systems had jammed. The locks failed following a power outage caused by the short circuit during EV charging, which appears to have caused the fire.
Sources from the fire brigade, which took around two and a half hours to douse the fire, told TNIE that the EV charging point was located very close to an electric pole and transformer, making the house highly vulnerable. “Flashes from the short circuit reached the nearby electric pole, worsening the sparks, which then ignited the EV and fuelled the fire,” they said.
Just five months ago, in October 2025, an automobile dealer and Congress leader, Pravesh Agrawal, died in a fire at his penthouse in Indore’s Lasudia area. In that incident too, digital locks jammed following a power supply failure caused by a short circuit, which had triggered the fire.
