Jhansi: More than 30 vegetable shops were gutted in a fire at the decades-old Sabzi Mandi in Sipri bazaar early Wednesday, with police suspecting arson after CCTV footage showed an unidentified man allegedly spreading an inflammable liquid and setting the market area on fire.The fire, which initially appeared to be accidental, broke out in the morning and spread across the temporary tin sheds used by vendors to cover their shops at night. Fire tenders reached the spot and it took around two hours for them to control the blaze.The mandi has more than 120 shops. Shopkeepers claimed that vegetables, cash and other belongings were destroyed in the fire, resulting in a loss of around Rs 40-45 lakh.CCTV footage showed a man pouring some liquid over the tin sheds before setting them ablaze. The footage triggered anger among the affected shopkeepers, who demanded compensation and action against the accused.Sadar MLA Ravi Sharma visited the site and assured the shopkeepers that efforts would be made to secure compensation from the govt. Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Pradeep Jain also met the district magistrate along with party workers and submitted a memorandum seeking rehabilitation and relief for the affected vendors.Circle officer Priya Singh said that around 30 shops were affected, of which eight to 10 were completely gutted while the others suffered partial damage. “We have filed an FIR against an unknown person for igniting the fire. We have also got a trail of CCTV footage of the accused and will arrest him soon,” she said.The Sipri bazaar Sabzi Mandi has been a point of contention in recent months. The local administration had recently tried to shift the mandi following a proposal to develop a market complex at the site. However, the move was put on hold after strong protests by the vendors.
