Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Fire Officer Suspended After Fatal Tarapith Hotel Blaze
A hotel in Tarapith caught fire on Monday.
Nine people died in the incident.
Five of the victims belonged to one family from Meghalaya.
A fire officer named Abhay Chowdhury had earlier approved the hotel’s firefighting arrangements.
He has now been suspended while questions about the approval are examined.
Police arrested the hotel’s owner and co-owner.
Officials also closed 15 nearby hotels for an indefinite period.
Other hotels will be inspected and could face legal action if their safety systems are not proper.
Fire station officer Abhay Chowdhury was suspended after clearing the Bideshini hotel’s firefighting system.
The Tarapith hotel fire on Monday killed nine people, including five members of one Meghalaya family.
Birbhum authorities ordered 15 hotels near the Goddess Tara Temple closed indefinitely.
Hotel owner Probir Paul and co-owner Kalyan Paul were arrested after the incident.
Officials instructed Bolpur hotels to meet fire-safety requirements and warned of inspections and legal action.
- Who
- Nine people died; fire officer Abhay Chowdhury was suspended, and hotel owners Probir Paul and Kalyan Paul were arrested.
- What
- A fatal fire at the Bideshini hotel led to a suspension, arrests, hotel closures, and renewed fire-safety inspections.
- When
- The fire occurred on Monday; one injured person died Monday night, and the suspension and closures followed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Where
- The incident occurred at the Bideshini hotel in Tarapith, Birbhum district, West Bengal.
- Why
- Authorities acted after questions arose about the hotel’s firefighting system and the fire-safety clearance previously granted to it.
- Death toll
- Nine people died in the fire.
- Hotel
- The fire occurred at the Bideshini hotel in Tarapith.
- Suspended officer
- Abhay Chowdhury, formerly the Tarapith fire station officer, was suspended.
- Hotel closures
- Fifteen hotels near the Goddess Tara Temple were ordered closed indefinitely.
- Arrests
- Owner Probir Paul and his son and co-owner, Kalyan Paul, were arrested.
- Safety measures
- Bolpur hotels were told to maintain required documents, fire-extinguishing systems, and safety equipment.
- Inspections
- Officials said hotels would be inspected and could face legal action for negligence or defective safety systems.