The library of Syed Issaq was gutted due to negligence of a smoker, who threw a matchstick after lighting a beedi and the police denied any foul play in this regard.
City Police Commissioner Chandragupta said, "Due to the negligence of one Syed Nasir, 35, the library gutted. Nasir, who is in police custody, threw the matchstick after lighting a beedi and it caused fire."
According to the commissioner, Nasir was in an inebriated condition when the incident took place. Nasir left his house after a clash with his mother and brother. He purchased a pack of beedi and a match box at a shop near the gutted library.
He lit a beedi in front of a sofa repair shop, next to the library and threw the matchstick, which fell on a sofa. A few minutes later, the sofa caught fire, but two persons Syed Asgar and Syed Ayazuddin, who noticed the fire, doused it. However, the fire spread to the library, said the commissioner.
Syed Nasir is in police custody and there is no proof that the incident is intentional. The incident is due to negligence, he said.
When asked it is possible to store 11,000 books in 10X18 sq ft structure, the commissioner said, “We investigated about how the library was gutted and it is not the Police department’s duty to look into the number of books inside the structure."
Published 17 April 2021, 16:39 IST