Seven shops gutted in fire in MP's Khandwa; no casualty

Seven shops were gutted in a fire in the communally sensitive Jalebi Chowk area adjacent to the famous Mahadevgarh temple in Khandwa city of Madhya Pradesh early Monday, police said. No one was injured in the blaze which broke out at 3.20 AM. The flames were put out in an hour, Khandwa City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Lalit Gathre told PTI over the phone. He said the cause of the fire is being investigated from all angles given that the area is communally sensitive. The CSP said tyres and burnt electric meters were found outside shops.

When asked if the police suspects any communal angle in the incident, he said every aspect will be examined. A shop belonging to a Hindu man was also gutted in the fire, he added. “We are scanning the CCTV cameras in the locality, the CSP said He said the affected shops are engaged in the businesses of tyre remoulding, motor winding, tailoring and selling electrical goods. Gathre said the loss caused by the fire will be calculated once shop owners submit their applications and the list of gutted goods. ”After which, a case will be registered,” he added.