Unidentified miscreant sets IIT-B computer lab

MUMBAI: Police have registered a first information report (FIR) regarding a fire in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay campus on December 31 which damaged office equipment worth ₹1.5 lakh. A kersosene-like substance was used to set fire to the computer lab on campus, although no one was injured in the incident, said police.

According to the police, while the fire in the computer lab erupted around 6pm, a PhD student noticed smoke emanating from the lab around 8.45pm and promptly informed assistant professor Chandrashekhar Tyagrajan. By the time Tyagrajan reached the spot, other students had already opened the lab and found it filled with thick smoke.

A security guard by then had informed the fire brigade, which brought the situation under control within 10-15 minutes. Subsequently, the Powai police conducted a site inspection, which confirmed that a flammable substance had been used to start the fire, and registered an FIR against unidentified persons based on Tyagrajan’s complaint.

The fire damaged six computers, four chairs, a computer projector and screen, and two air conditioners, said police.

“We are examining CCTV footage and investigating the matter to identify and arrest the accused at the earliest,” said an officer from Powai police station.