SAMBALPUR: Miscreants on Wednesday ransacked the zonal office of the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) and set it on fire, causing extensive damage to the property and assets. Many important documents and records including certificates have been destroyed in the blaze along with two motorcycles.
According to reports, BSE staff were working in the office as it was the last day for filling up forms for correspondence matriculation examinations. Some school teachers, who had come to submit forms, were also present in the office when the arson occured.
Deputy Secretary of BSE, Sambalpur zone, Suryamani Majhi said eight to 10 persons barged into the office at around 2 pm and ordered them to vacate the premises. Then they ransacked the office and set it on fire. They also set ablaze two motorcycles parked on the office premises before fleeing the spot.
Majhi said that the office had been closed since November 19 due to the ongoing lawyers’ stir. It was opened on Wednesday for filling up of examination forms. They had intimated the District Bar Association, Sambalpur beforehand that they would open the office due to the important work. Moreover, he had also discussed with the District Collector in this regard.
Two fire tenders and 15 personnel were engaged to douse the fire. The miscreants set five rooms on fire and destroyed furniture and articles in the hall of the building. Sambalpur Collector, Samarth Verma and SP, Sanjeev Arora rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. Arora said the matter is being investigated. “It is too early to say who are behind the incident,” he added.