Kolkata hotel fire: Bodies of 6 deceased Bangladeshis return home

The bodies of six of the seven Bangladeshi nationals killed in a hotel fire in Kolkata on 19 August have been brought back to Bangladesh, while the seventh victim was cremated in Kolkata at her family’s request.

The Bangladeshis were among nine people killed in the fire at Shikha Inn, a residential hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata.

In a statement today (22 August), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the body of SM Alimuzzaman Saju of Satkhira was repatriated through the Ghajadanga-Bhomra border this morning and handed over to his family.

The bodies of journalist Debashish Dutta, his wife Afshana Shirmin, their nearly three-year-old son Swarnashish Dutta and Afshana’s father Md Akram Ali, all from Kushtia, were brought back through the Petrapole-Benapole border in the afternoon. The body of Babu Ahmed, 37, from Aminbazar in Dhaka was also repatriated through the same route.

The Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata assisted the families throughout the process, including the preservation, transportation and repatriation of the bodies, the ministry said.

The body of the seventh Bangladeshi victim, Rebati Sarker, 35, of Satkhira, was cremated in Kolkata last night in line with her family’s wishes. The Bangladesh mission also provided financial and other assistance for the cremation.

The foreign ministry expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families.

Bodies of Debashish and his family left for Kushtia, Saju buried in Satkhira

According to family sources, after completing the necessary legal procedures, the bodies of Debashish and his family left Benapole for Kushtia at around 5:30pm. Family members and colleagues expected them to arrive around 9pm, depending on road conditions.

Debashish’s close friend Hafiz Al Asad Soni received the bodies at Benapole in the presence of his colleagues and friends.

Saurav Hossain, one of Debashish’s colleagues, told The Business Standard that they had received the bodies and were travelling to Kushtia.

Preparations for the cremation of Debashish and his son Swarnashish were nearly complete at Kushtia Mohashmashan.

Afshana and Akram’s bodies will be taken to their family area in Thanapara, where arrangements were made for their burial at a designated municipal cemetery.

Debashish, 39, was the Kushtia correspondent for Ajker Patrika and Channel 9. He also served as acting editor of the local newspaper Ajker Alo.

Meanwhile, Saju’s body was buried in his home village in Kaliganj upazila’s Bareya. The body reached around 3pm. His janaza was held after Asr prayers at a mosque near his home, followed by his burial at around 5:30p, family members said.

Saju, 45, was a businessman from Bareya village under Tarali Union in Kaliganj. He was the son of late Yunus Sardar and the third among four brothers and two sisters.

Fire at Kolkata hotel

The fire broke out at Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata on 19 August. The area has several hotels and guesthouses popular among Bangladeshi visitors because of its proximity to New Market, a major shopping destination.

The fire brigade received the call at around 2:07am and began rescue operations a minute later. Five firefighting units were deployed, and the blaze was brought under control after several hours.

According to police, the two other victims were Indian nationals Sandip Paswan, 19, from Jharkhand, and Yog Narayan Aggarwal, 68, from Siliguri.

The Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata has been coordinating with local authorities and the victims’ families since the incident to complete the necessary formalities and facilitate the repatriation of the victims.