1 week ago
Shikha Inn Owner Arrested After Kolkata Fire Kills Nine
A fire at the Shikha Inn hotel in Kolkata killed nine people.
Seven of those who died were from Bangladesh.
Police arrested the hotel’s owner, Bireswar or Bireshwar Mitra, four days after the fire.
They found him at his home in Behala after he had reportedly gone to Dhanbad.
Police had earlier searched his hotels in Digha and Mandarmani but did not find him there.
The hotel had been leased to Abu Zafar, who was already arrested.
Investigators also questioned hotel workers and other people connected with the building.
Officials inspected other hotels and guest houses and took action against places suspected of breaking fire-safety rules.
Police arrested Shikha Inn owner Bireswar, also reported as Bireshwar, Mitra at his Behala home on Saturday.
Mitra allegedly left Kolkata for Dhanbad after learning about the fire and later returned; police are investigating why.
The fire on the intervening night of August 18 and 19 killed nine people, including seven Bangladeshi residents.
Mitra had leased the hotel to Abu Zafar for Rs 40,000 a month; Zafar was previously arrested.
Police raids in Digha and Mandarmani failed to find Mitra, while wider inspections led to notices, closures and evacuations of several establishments.
- Who
- Hotel owner Bireswar/Bireshwar Mitra, lessee Abu Zafar, other tenants, hotel employees, Kolkata Police, and civic and fire officials.
- What
- Police arrested Mitra while investigating the Shikha Inn fire and expanded fire-safety enforcement in central Kolkata.
- Where
- The fire occurred at Shikha Inn in the New Market area on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata; Mitra was arrested at his Behala home after searches in Digha, Mandarmani and Dhanbad.
- When
- The fire occurred on the intervening night of August 18 and 19; Mitra was arrested on Saturday, four days later.
- Why
- Police are investigating the deaths, alleged failures to obtain fire and municipal permissions, Mitra’s movements after the fire, and whether anyone helped him evade arrest.
Immediate Enforcement
Procedural Review
How unsafe establishments should be handled
Immediate Enforcement
Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul said notices were insufficient and urged officials to give guests 24 hours to leave before sealing establishments.
Procedural Review
Officials said establishments would be allowed to present their cases at hearings before Divisional Fire Officers and could reopen if their documents were found to be in order.
Responsibility for the fire
Immediate Enforcement
Police arrested both the owner and lessee while investigating alleged failures to obtain required permissions and possible responsibility for the hotel’s safety conditions.
Procedural Review
The reports do not establish final responsibility; investigators were still questioning tenants, employees and others associated with the building.
Key facts
- Death toll
- Nine people died, including seven Bangladeshi residents, one person from Giridih and one from Siliguri.
- Victim details
- The victims included six men, two women and a three-year-old child.
- Arrested owner
- Bireswar/Bireshwar Mitra, 46, was arrested at his Behala home on Saturday.
- Lease arrangement
- Mitra had leased Shikha Inn to Abu Zafar for Rs 40,000 per month.
- Reported movements
- Police said Mitra left for Dhanbad after learning about the fire, while earlier raids at his Digha and Mandarmani hotels failed to locate him.
- Investigation
- A Special Investigation Team questioned hotel employees and other tenants and examined whether required fire-department and Kolkata Municipal Corporation permissions had been obtained.
- Fire-safety action
- Twenty-five establishments in the Free School Street-Marquis Street-New Market area received show-cause notices on Saturday; several establishments were also closed, vacated or ordered to leave.
Quotes
A Kolkata city police insider
An unidentified insider familiar with the Kolkata Police investigation
“There is a possibility that since his source of funds were choked, he was left with no other option to come back to his home at Behala. Some of his hotel employees are Dhanbad-based. Probably escaped there to seek assistance from them. All these will be clear after thorough interrogation.”
thehansindia.com
NDTV
“We are looking for Bireswar Mitra. We have examined several staff members of his hotel. He spoke to one of them on Wednesday morning, shortly after the fire was reported. After that, his phone was switched off. We will speak to all the staff members at his hotels.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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