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Prayagraj Education Office Fire Destroys Sensitive Files, Investigations Underway

A Sunday morning blaze at the Directorate of Education in Uttar Pradesh gutted critical records, prompting a high-level inquiry and police probe into the cause, suspected to be an electrical short circuit.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was addressing a press conference in Lucknow on April 27. (HT file)
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Flames coming out of room number 15 on ground floor at the Directorate of Secondary Education in Prayagraj on April 27. (HT photo)

Overview

  • A fire broke out around 8 a.m. on April 27 in rooms 14 and 15 of the Directorate of Education office in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
  • Firefighters battled the blaze for over three hours, with no casualties reported, though some personnel experienced electric shocks from a live inverter.
  • Hundreds of files related to aided schools and an ongoing teachers’ recruitment scam investigation were completely destroyed in the fire.
  • Preliminary findings suggest an electrical short circuit as the likely cause, though investigations by a high-level government committee and the police are ongoing.
  • The destruction of sensitive records has raised concerns about the integrity of ongoing probes into alleged corruption in teacher appointments and school funding.