DHARMAPURI: A fire broke out at the ancestral residence of Member of Parliament VS Matheswaran near Pottnam village near Senthamangalam early on Thursday. Police suspect electrical malfunctioning led to the fire.
The fire erupted at around 1:30 am at the house where Matheswaran's mother Varathammal (75) stays alone. Police sources said "In the early hours of Thursday, Varathammal had noticed the fire and exited her home screaming for help. Neighbours immediately rushed to her aid and attempted to douse the fire. The fire station at Namakkal was notified and its personnel arrived and doused the fire. An investigation revealed that an electric discharge from the air-conditioning unit had caused the fire and it spread to the fan and damaged the switchboard of the house."
Meanwhile, as rumour of a deliberate attack on the MP spread, the Namakkal police issued a stern warning refuting it and warned of severe action against spreading fake messages. A rumour said the Namakkal MP was targeted for failing to vote against the Waqf Bill. A few days ago posters had been put up across Namakkal condemning his absence in the Parliament.
"The fire was caused by an electrical issue in the air-conditioning unit," Namakkal SP S Rajesh Kannan, said in a statement. He also warned of severe action for spreading rumours.