Kolkata Hotel Fire: Identities of Five Bangladeshi Victims Confirmed

Kolkata Police have identified five Bangladeshi nationals among those killed in a fire at a residential hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata. The fire broke out at around 2am on Wednesday at the Shikha Inn, killing at least nine people and injuring six others. Eight of the victims are believed to be Bangladeshi nationals.

The five identified Bangladeshi victims are Debashis Dutta, his wife Afsana Shimmin, their two-year-old child Shornoshish Dutta, and Debashis’s father-in-law Mohammad Akram Ali, all from Kushtia district, as well as two-year-old Ahmed Babu from Aminbazar in Savar.

According to police, Debashis Dutta, his wife and their child were residents of Aruapara in the Mohini Mill area of Kushtia Sadar. Ahmed Babu was from the Begunbari area of Savar.

Bangladesh’s Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata, Mohammad Khaled, said on Wednesday afternoon that the mission had been informed through police and the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, or FRRO, that the identities of at least five Bangladeshi nationals had been confirmed. The FRRO is responsible for maintaining records of foreign nationals staying in India.

Hospital sources said another victim was identified as 19-year-old Sandeep Paswan from Giridih district in Jharkhand. Authorities are still working to establish the identities of the remaining three victims.

The victims reportedly had no major burn injuries. Authorities initially suspect that they may have died from smoke inhalation after being trapped in toxic fumes during the fire. The six injured people are receiving treatment at Kolkata Medical College Hospital.

West Bengal Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari expressed grief over the deaths and raised concerns about fire safety and regulatory oversight in the city’s buildings. In a post on X on Wednesday, he accused the previous government of allowing infrastructure and commercial establishments to operate without adequate safety measures and oversight.

Adhikari said a five-member special investigation team, or SIT, had been formed to investigate the incident. Rescue operations and the investigation are continuing.