NIA Team Reaches HPCL Rajasthan Refinery To Probe Possible Sabotage After Fire

India’s principal counter-terrorism agency reached the HPCL refinery in Pachpadra on Wednesday to examine the cause of the fire that delayed its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrived at the site and began a preliminary assessment of the facility, according to broadcaster India Today. The blaze broke out on April 20, a day before the refinery was scheduled to be inaugurated.

HPCL said an initial internal probe pointed to a possible leakage of hydrocarbons from a valve or flange in the heat exchanger circuit as the likely cause of the fire. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said the refinery remains “structurally safe”.

A report by The Times of India said a team from the

Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) also visited the site and held discussions with refinery officials.

The India Today report said the NIA team includes intelligence officials, forensic experts and cyber specialists, who are examining the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU), where the fire is believed to have originated. The agency typically steps in when there is suspicion of sabotage or external interference.

The development comes amid a series of fire incidents at energy installations across multiple countries in recent weeks, raising questions about a possible pattern.

Global Pattern?

A series of refinery fires and explosions have been reported across countries including the United States, Mexico, Ecuador, Australia, Iraq and India over the past 50 days, even as the war in West Asia has triggered an energy crisis globally. The latest incident was reported from Erbil in Iraq, where an explosion at a refinery added to concerns over the frequency of such events outside the immediate conflict zone.

The pattern began on March 1 with a fire at Ecuador’s Esmeraldas refinery, followed by a deadly blaze at Mexico’s Olmeca refinery on March 17. In the United States, incidents were reported at refineries in Texas later that month, while Australia’s Corio refinery saw a major fire on April 16. In India, a fire broke out at ONGC’s Mumbai High platform on April 4 before the latest incident in Rajasthan.