After the popular FD Block Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata’s Salt Lake was gutted down by a massive fire early on Wednesday morning, the organisers have claimed that it was done intentionally by miscreants.

The Durga idol and the entire pandal decorations were ravaged by the fire flames. The FD Block puja organisers were to conduct the Durga idol immersion on Wednesday.

Local police officials and two engines of Fire and Emergency Services had rushed to the location to bring the fire down, which reportedly started burning the pandal down at aroud 5:50 in the morning.

Even though the primary investigations by Fire and Emergency Services claimed that the fire was a result of a short circuit at the pandal, the FD Block puja organisers sensed a conspiracy, reported ABP Ananda.

“Th Puja at FD Block was conducted in accordance with the government directives and the protocols laid out by the Calcutta High Court,” a FD Block puja organiser was seen as saying to ABP Ananda.

“From adequate number of fire extinguishers at the pandal to getting permission from the Fire and Emergency department, we did everything right. There’s not an iota of doubt of any misconduct from our end,” he added, demanding a fair investigation of the entire episode.

West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Basu also paid a visit to the spot and said that to find out the root cause of the fire the forensic team had collected materials and the result of their investigation was awaited.

“How and why the fire started is impossible for me to say at the moment. Police and Fire department officials had arrived at the right time. They ensured that the fire did not spread further to other nearby pandals,” Basu said.

” I have already asked the police to give requisition to the forensic team. We will conduct a fair enquiry into the matter and the findings from it will be used thoroughly in the investigation,” the minister added.

On the other hand, South Bidhannagar Police Station have already started examining the CCTV footage. Based on their investigation so far, they have reportedly begun questioning a few individuals who were spotted in and around the pandal during the time when the fire broke out.