Madanapalle Fire Investigation: Three Officials Suspended; Electrical Safety Report Debunks Short Circuit Claims

Tirupati: The state government has suspended three officials for their alleged involvement in the July 21 night fire incident at the Madanapalle sub-collector’s office on Monday. The suspended officers are former revenue divisional officers of Madanapalle Murali and Hari Prasad, along with senior assistant Gowtham Teja.

On direction from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, special chief secretary (revenue) R.P. Sisodia spent three days on-site investigating the incident and received grievances from people regarding land disputes and encroachments. He confirmed that the fire was not an accident but a deliberate act to destroy crucial files.

Sisodia's report, submitted to the government on Saturday, recommended the suspensions based on preliminary findings of the officials’ alleged involvement. Hariprasad was the acting Madanapalle RDO when the incident occurred while Murali had held the position previously. Senior assistant Gowtham, who dealt with assigned lands and 22A lands, was reportedly present in the office until 10:30 pm on July 21, despite it being a Sunday. The fire broke out around 11:30 pm.

Investigations revealed that the fire was aimed at destroying crucial files related to 22A lands and assigned lands. Approximately 2,440 files got burnt while 700 were salvaged. As the investigation continues, authorities have questioned over 10 suspects and conducted searches in several locations, including the residences of former Madanapalle MLA Nawaz Basha, MLA Peddireddy Dwarakanath Reddy, and former minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy’s personal assistant Sashikant in Hyderabad.

The probe also expanded to include land-grabbing allegations, with nearly 486 complaints received so far, more than 200 of which allegedly implicated YSRC leaders. Hundreds of victims from Madanapalle, Tamballapalle, Kurabalakota, Piler, Punganur and other regions have reported encroachments on government and private lands by the alleged followers of Ramachandra Reddy and his brother Dwarakanath. Madanapalle sub-collector Megha Swaroop is currently receiving and processing these complaints.

Meanwhile, a report from the directorate of electrical safety has ruled out the possibility of a short circuit. Analysis of the Meter Reading Instrument (MRI) data showed no unusual fluctuations in the electrical load before the incident. The fire, reported at 11:25 pm, caused a sudden drop in the R-phase load from 2.62 amps at 11:14 pm to 0.27 amps by 12:14 am. The power supply to the office was cut off from 12:44 am to 1:30 am after the fire, according to the report.

The investigation also found that six out of 15 MCBs had tripped after the incident, and no residual current circuit breaker was installed. The fire damaged concealed wiring outlets and switch boards in the computer section, but the exact cause of wire damage remains unclear due to concealed wiring within the slab, the report revealed.

Anantapur range DIG Koya Praveen announced that forensic findings are expected in 10-15 days, with arrests to follow. Speaking to reporters in Madanapalle on Monday, he detailed the systematic investigation after the July 21 fire, involving the dog squad, clues team, CID, police, and cooperation from electricity and fire departments.

"After analysing the findings, several suspects were questioned, and some others were identified as suspects. Names cannot be revealed until final findings are in. Searches were conducted at suspects' houses, and relevant documents were seized for further examination," he said. "Searches included the residences of former MLA Nawaz Basha and current MLA Peddireddy Dwarakanath Reddy, with documents seized from Basha's home to be examined for relevance to the case".