Archive · 20 Aug 2026
Kolkata Hotel Fire Kills Nine as Adhikari Orders SIT Probe
A serious fire happened at a hotel in Kolkata.
Nine people died, including five people from Bangladesh and a four-year-old child.
Six other people were hurt.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said he was shocked and promised help for the injured.
He blamed the earlier Trinamool Congress government for allegedly not enforcing fire-safety rules.
Other officials also said illegal buildings and missing fire audits were serious problems.
Opposition figures said blaming earlier governments would not save lives.
A five-member team will investigate what happened.
The reports do not yet establish the fire’s exact cause or who was responsible.
A hotel fire in Kolkata killed nine people, including five Bangladeshi nationals and a four-year-old child.
Six other people were injured, while authorities focused on rescue, relief and medical treatment.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari blamed the previous Trinamool Congress regime’s alleged negligence over fire-safety enforcement.
Adhikari alleged that mandatory safety norms and compliance audits had been ignored as buildings operated as hotels and businesses.
A five-member Special Investigation Team was formed to investigate the Kolkata fire, whose cause and responsibility remain unestablished.
- Who
- Nine people died, including five Bangladeshi nationals and a four-year-old child; six others were injured. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, state officials and opposition figures commented on the incident.
- What
- A hotel fire in Kolkata killed nine people and led to the formation of a five-member Special Investigation Team.
- When
- Wednesday, August 19; one report also described a separate Tarapith hotel fire on the preceding Monday.
- Where
- A hotel on Mirza Galib Street, also identified in one report as being on Free School Street, in southern Kolkata, West Bengal.
- Why
- The fire’s cause was under investigation. Adhikari and state fire officials alleged that earlier authorities had failed to enforce fire-safety rules, while opposition figures disputed whether blame would address the problem.
Government’s Negligence Allegation
Opposition and Investigation-Based Response
Responsibility for unsafe buildings
Government’s Negligence Allegation
Adhikari and Fire Services Minister Koushik Chowdhury blamed the previous Trinamool Congress regime’s alleged legacy of negligence, citing ignored fire-safety norms, illegal construction and years without fire audits.
Opposition and Investigation-Based Response
Former Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim said blaming others would not save lives and said a trade licence does not authorize illegal work. The reports do not independently establish that the previous regime caused the Kolkata fire.
Scale of the safety challenge
Government’s Negligence Allegation
The government said buildings had been allowed to operate in narrow lanes without adequate spacing, making it difficult for fire-service vehicles to respond, and that it was trying to identify illegal construction.
Opposition and Investigation-Based Response
A BJP source said the new government now had responsibility to take action against thousands of allegedly illegal buildings, warning that continued accidents would bring questions about its own performance.
Oversight of hotels with Bangladeshi guests
Government’s Negligence Allegation
CPM state secretary Md Salim said hotels hosting people from Bangladesh required closer police monitoring and argued that proper supervision by civic, fire and police departments could prevent such incidents.
Opposition and Investigation-Based Response
The reports do not describe a response from the government to Salim’s monitoring proposal; the SIT inquiry was still expected to determine what went wrong.
- Kolkata deaths
- Nine people
- Kolkata injuries
- Six people
- Victims identified
- Five of those killed were Bangladeshi nationals, and one was a four-year-old child
- Location
- A hotel on Mirza Galib Street in southern Kolkata; one report called the location Free School Street
- Investigation
- A five-member Special Investigation Team was formed
- Government response
- Authorities said they were conducting rescue and relief operations and arranging medical treatment for the injured
- Related fire
- One report said nine people were also killed in a separate Tarapith hotel fire on Monday, including five people from Meghalaya
