Education Ministry Office Fire: Congress Targets Centre Over Blaze Amid ‘CBSE OSM Row’, Calls It ‘Very Concerning’
A fire at the Ministry of Education's office in Delhi's ITO area has sparked political reactions, with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh calling the incident 'very concerning' and 'very fishy.' The remarks come amid the ongoing CBSE On Screen Marking (OSM) controversy. No injuries were reported in the blaze, and authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
A fire that broke out at the Ministry of Education's office in central Delhi on Monday, June 1, has triggered a political controversy, with the Congress questioning the circumstances surrounding the incident. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described the blaze as “very concerning” and “very fishy,” raising doubts about the timing of the fire amid an ongoing controversy related to the CBSE's On Screen Marking (OSM) system.
The fire erupted on the second floor of the Ministry of Education's office located within the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) campus in Delhi's ITO area. According to officials, no injuries or fatalities were reported. The Delhi Fire Service said it received a call regarding the blaze at 9:37 am and dispatched eight fire tenders to bring the situation under control. Delhi ITO Fire: Blaze Erupts at Ministry of Education Building, 8 Fire Tenders Rushed.
Education Ministry Office Fire
#WATCH | Delhi | Efforts underway to douse the fire on the second floor of the Ministry of Education office, Vikas Marg. Further details awaited. https://t.co/p8Ukdd9pRw pic.twitter.com/qPPVU3Pb8n
— ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2026
Congress Targets Centre Over Education Ministry Office Fire
The news of a fire in the Education Ministry’s offices is very concerning. It is also very fishy.
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 1, 2026
Congress Raises Questions Over Education Ministry Office Fire
Reacting to reports of the fire, Jairam Ramesh questioned the circumstances surrounding the incident in a post on social media. "The news of a fire in the Education Ministry's offices is very concerning. It is also very fishy," Ramesh said.
His remarks came against the backdrop of the ongoing controversy involving the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On Screen Marking (OSM) system and allegations regarding the contractor responsible for the project. Delhi Fire: Shastri Park Furniture Market Gutted in Massive Blaze, Locals Stone Fire Tenders Claiming Delayed Response (Watch Videos).
Fresh Attack Over CBSE OSM Row
Earlier, the Congress intensified its criticism of the Union government over the CBSE OSM controversy. Sharing a media report on X, Ramesh alleged that after initially dismissing concerns about cybersecurity vulnerabilities, the CBSE had eventually acknowledged that its OSM system had been compromised.
Questioning the role of contractor COEMPT, he asked what action would be taken against the company and suggested that officials within the CBSE and the Ministry of Education had anticipated concerns about the firm's capabilities. "It appears that the COEMPT's benefactors in the CBSE and the Ministry of Education anticipated that COEMPT would not be fit for the task," Ramesh said.
Referring to procurement procedures, he claimed that while a 2025 request for proposal (RFP) allowed CBSE to blacklist underperforming vendors, a subsequent corrigendum removed that provision.
"This is an inexplicable, government-backed attempt to save COEMPT, and it began even before COEMPT got the contract officially," Ramesh said in his post.
The Congress leader also directed criticism at Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. "How much longer will the nation have to put up with Mantri Pradhan, whose Ministry has overseen and enabled such unfathomable irregularities in its tenders and which has cost lakhs of students their mental well-being," Ramesh asked.
"Mantri Pradhan is the very epitome of arrogance and incompetence, insistent on putting his political agenda above and beyond any responsibility to the nation," he alleged. The Congress has been demanding accountability over issues linked to the CBSE's revaluation and answer-sheet access system.
CBSE Responds to Student Complaints
The controversy gained attention after several CBSE Class 12 students reported receiving scanned answer sheets that allegedly did not belong to them during the revaluation process.
The Board later contacted affected students and shared their correct answer sheets. CBSE has maintained that cases involving mismatched answer sheets and other concerns raised during revaluation are being handled on priority.
According to government sources, experts from IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur and the Digital Infrastructure Corporation of India (DICI) are examining the system and working to strengthen the portal and payment gateway integration.
While the political debate surrounding the incident continues, authorities have not linked the fire to any ongoing controversy. Officials said the blaze was contained without injuries, and the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Further investigations are expected to determine what triggered the incident at the Ministry of Education office.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 01, 2026 12:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
