Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed informed parliament on Thursday that preliminary findings found no evidence of a petrol bomb attack on the Kushtia residence of National Citizen Party (NCP) lawmaker Nusrat Tabassum, suggesting that an electrical short circuit may have caused the fire.
Responding to a point of order raised by Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam during the fourth sitting of the fourth session of the Jatiya Sangsad, Salahuddin said, "Law enforcement agencies, after consulting locals and assessing physical evidence, found neither blast marks on the walls nor witnesses reporting the sound of petrol bomb explosions."
"Reviewing photographs of the scene, the walls and other evidence, it is assumed that because the house is old and has faulty electrical wiring, the fire could have been triggered by an electrical short circuit," Salahuddin told parliament, adding that the exact cause could only be confirmed after a full investigation.
Describing the incident as a matter of utmost importance, the minister said any threat to the security of a member of parliament was a concern for the entire country. He said a joint investigation involving the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Fire Service, police and civil administration had been ordered to determine the cause of the fire.
Detailing the incident, Salahuddin said the fire broke out at around 12:20am on Thursday at Nusrat's ancestral home in Baguan village of Mathurapur Union under Daulatpur upazila, about 7.4km from the border.
The affected structure, a semi-concrete tin-shed house located around 20 metres from a three-storey building where her parents live, was largely unused. It contained only some furniture, shoemaking equipment and clothes belonging to a caretaker.
The fire damaged the stored belongings and killed two goats kept inside the house, he said.
After receiving the report, a Fire Service unit from a neighbouring police station rushed to the scene and brought the blaze under control. Senior officials, including the superintendent of police, additional superintendent of police, the local police station's officer-in-charge and a BGB team, later visited the site.
A general diary (GD) has already been filed with the local police station, and police are investigating the incident.
Assuring parliament that those responsible would face strict legal action, Salahuddin said, "If further investigation establishes that the fire was caused by sabotage, stern legal action will be taken against those responsible."