Battery blasts trigger fire at Kurushetra’s Mahabharat Anubhav Kendra; no casualty

Kurukshetra: A major fire triggered by explosions in electrical panels and batteries broke out in the basement of the multi-crore Mahabharat Anubhav Kendra at Jyotisar on Sunday afternoon, prompting the district administration to establish a five-member fact-finding committee to investigate the lapse. No injuries were reported as on-duty staff evacuated the peak-hour Sunday crowds immediately after the fire alarms went off.The Kurukshetra fire department received information about the blaze around 3 pm, rushing five fire tenders to the spot—three from Kurukshetra and two from Pehowa—to bring the flames under control. The fire broke out inside the basement of Block-B, where heavy backup batteries and primary electrical routing panels were housed.Fire officer Sandeep stated that multiple battery blasts occurred during the incident, adding that preliminary physical indicators suggest intense summer heat conditions may have caused the initial electrical overload and subsequent explosions.Kurukshetra deputy commissioner Vishram Kumar Meena has ordered the immediate closure of the premises for the next few days to facilitate emergency engineering repairs and structural safety audits. The facility will reopen to the public only after passing all necessary electrical and fire compliance checks.The fact-finding committee will operate under the chairmanship of additional deputy commissioner Vivek Arya. The panel includes the chief executive officer of the Kurukshetra Development Board, the executive engineer of the PWD (electrical) from Ambala, the district fire officer of Kurukshetra, and an official representative from the Haryana Tourism Directorate.The administration has given the committee a three-day deadline to inspect the site, audit the centre's electrical infrastructure, review fire safety systems, and submit a comprehensive damage assessment report. The panel has been explicitly tasked with fixing accountability if any individual or agency is found guilty of negligence, while also outlining long-term preventive measures to prevent a recurrence.MSID:: 131293895 413 |