Kolkata, August 20: Authorities have identified the nine victims who lost their lives in a fire at a hotel located on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata. Among the deceased, seven were Bangladeshi nationals, while the other two were Indian citizens. One of the Indians hailed from Giridih district in Jharkhand, and the other was from Darjeeling district in North Bengal.
The Kolkata police disclosed the passport numbers of the seven Bangladeshi victims in their statement. The group included six men, two women, and one child. Notably, all seven Bangladeshi victims belonged to the same family. They were identified as Debashish Dutta (39), his wife Afsana Shirmiyan (27), their young son Swarnashish Dutta, and Afsana’s father Mohammad Akram Ali (74).
This family had traveled to Kolkata for medical examinations. They were originally from the Kushtia district of Bangladesh, and Debashish was a journalist by profession.
The fifth Bangladeshi victim was identified as Babu Ahmed (37), who was from Dhaka district. The other two victims, Rebati Sarkar and M. Alimuzzaman, were residents of Kaliganj, Bangladesh. The Kolkata police have not disclosed their ages.
In addition to the seven Bangladeshi nationals, 19-year-old Sandeep Paswan, who worked at the hotel, was also confirmed dead. He was originally from Giridih district. The ninth victim was identified as Yog Narayan Agarwal (68), a resident of Darjeeling, West Bengal.
It is noteworthy that all the victims succumbed to asphyxiation, as they did not suffer any physical injuries. Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire on the third floor was not intense. However, a lack of timely rescue efforts led to the tragic loss of life, as the entire building filled with smoke, causing the victims to suffocate.
In response to this incident, the West Bengal government has ordered an audit of all hotels, lodges, and guesthouses in the state. The building where the fire occurred falls under the jurisdiction of the News Market police station, which has taken cognizance of the incident. The State Fire Service Department has also registered a separate case regarding the incident.
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