The government has formed another high-level committee to investigate the fire incident in Building No. 7 of the Secretariat. The Cabinet Division has formed a new 8-member high-level committee, canceling the 7-member committee formed in the afternoon to find the cause of the fire in the building. 

An office order in this regard was issued by the Cabinet Division on Thursday (December 26) night. 

The senior secretary of the Home Ministry has been made the convener of the committee. The director general of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Department has been made the member secretary.

The members are - Inspector General of Police, Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Professor of the Civil Engineering Department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Dr. Tanvir Manjur, Army officer Brigadier General Mahbubur Russell, Associate Professor of the Chemical Engineering Department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Md. Yasir Arafat Khan, Associate Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.

The committee's terms of reference state that it will investigate the source and cause of the fire, determine whether anyone is personally or professionally responsible for the fire, send recommendations to prevent such accidents, and send recommendations on the overall security of the secretariat.

The committee can co-opt one or more members if necessary. The office order also states that the committee will submit a preliminary report by December 30 and a full report within the next 10 working days. 

Retired Major General ALM Fazlur Rahman, chairman of the independent investigation commission formed to investigate the BDR killings, has said that the domestic and foreign conspiracies involved in the BDR killings will be presented to the nation in a neutral and unbiased manner, without any influence.

He told reporters after the first meeting of the commission at the conference room of the Dhaka Battalion (5 BGB) at the BGB headquarters on Thursday (December 26) morning.

Former Director General of BDR ALM Fazlur Rahman said, we will not be influenced in any way. Since this is a national problem. There has never been such an incident in a thousand years that so many people have been killed in a short time. I want to inform the countrymen that we will take note of all those who were tortured and killed after the BDR mutiny. At the same time, we will try to heal their wounds with sincerity. We should not raise any questions after our work is done. We will be vigilant in this regard.

He said, "My request to the media is that you should promote our statement positively. Otherwise, the national objective may be disrupted. Today we had our first meeting. We got acquainted. There was a discussion on how we will work. We have to write some letters. We have informed the Home Ministry that we need to be given secretarial facilities. We need to be given an office. Today we cloned with the BGB Director General. He received us warmly. He gave us an office of the 5th Rifle Battalion to carry out our work." The former BDR DG said, "We have identified several issues. This is not like other commissions. This is a different kind of commission where we have been given the responsibility of identifying domestic and foreign conspiracies. We have asked for some additional issues, among which we have asked for personal and family security, transportation facilities, secretarial facilities and an office. The rank of the chairman of this commission should be equal to that of an adviser because he has to discuss with domestic and foreign people. So we can work with equal dignity." In addition, we have asked for the status of judges of the Supreme Court's Appellate Division for other members of the commission. Only after all these are in place will we start holding the next meetings and interviews. After each meeting, we will inform the countrymen about the issues that should be reported. We do not want to keep anyone in the dark.

When asked about the trial process, the commission head said, "We have asked for the involvement of four local and foreign legal experts. It would be better if we get a civil law expert from Bangladesh, a military and an international expert. We will ask two of them to be involved from Bangladesh. And since the foreign power has to be identified, the matter has become international. Therefore, we will apply to involve two criminal and international law experts."

Immediately after the commission was formed, a former BGB director general tried to leave the country. He was involved in various things before and after the BDR mutiny, including the investigation, in response to a question about whether he would be banned from leaving the country, he said, "We will discuss with the commission members. If we think that he needs to stay in the country for the sake of the investigation and the country, then we will take that decision."

When asked whether any country was involved in the BDR mutiny, he said, "We do not want to identify any country. We want to proceed impartially and impartially. In doing so, we will give our opinion only when there is documentary evidence that those responsible are responsible. Since there is talk of domestic and foreign conspiracies, those who are on our side will face questions from this commission. Besides, as you know, many people have fled the country after the August 5 revolution. We will contact all the countries they have gone to through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If not, then we will send a team to that country to make statements."

Hasina's agents hiding in the secretariat have burned files of various misdeeds, said Sarjis Alam, chief organizer of the National Citizens Committee and general secretary of the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation.

He made this comment in a post on his verified Facebook ID on Thursday (December 26) afternoon.

Sarjis Alam said that these bureaucrats are one of the sycophants of the Awami League in the past 16 years. Hasina had amassed her power in this country by relying on them.

He further said that whenever the revolutionaries started investigating Hasina's misdeeds, theft, looting, and corruption, Hasina's agents hiding in the secretariat burned files of various misdeeds.

To reform the state, first of all, the sycophants who are still hiding in the bureaucracy and administration must be uprooted.

"There is no time to be cautious," he said.

The fire accident in the secretariat is not an isolated incident, there is a conspiracy behind it, said Mustafa Jamal Haider, the alliance head of the 12-party alliance.

He said these things while speaking as the chief guest at a protest rally organized by the 12-party alliance on Thursday (December 26) demanding anti-national activities, a conspiracy to rehabilitate former councilors and a reduction in the prices of daily necessities.

Mustafa Jamal Haider said, our student society and political society are suffering from a dilemma today. The time has come to build a national unity that is even tougher and stronger than in July. I want to tell the interim government that we are not your enemies. But if you fail to understand the pulse of the people, then terrible consequences await.

He also said, our fighting spirit has cracked somewhere, and there is an attempt to create confusion. We raised both hands and blessed the interim government that was formed after the fall of Sheikh Hasina. We still have faith in them. But that government is now making one mistake after another. And these mistakes of theirs are creating cracks in national unity.

He said, if we cannot maintain the national unity that has been created after the July coup, then the enemies against national unity will be the happiest.

Mustafa Jamal Haider said, it is not possible to ignore the situation that has arisen around the country's borders. We have to create a stronger unity to deal with the unrest that is being tried in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Speakers at the protest rally said, yesterday, the secretariat was set on fire in a planned manner to destroy corruption records. Those who did this must be brought to justice.

Speakers also said, elections must be held by June 25. We will congratulate those who win the elections. Awami League cannot be rehabilitated again.

Speakers said about the purpose of the interim government, do not test our patience. Do not force us to take to the streets. Give the roadmap very soon. You cannot reverse the election in the name of reforms.

In the president's speech, Shahadat Hossain Selim, spokesperson of the 12-party alliance and chairman of Bangladesh LDP, said, "You (interim government) should hold the election by June 25. We hope that Dr. Yunus will announce the election roadmap while giving his speech on New Year's Day."