Kolkata Police file chargesheet over hotel fire that killed nine people

Kolkata Police have filed a chargesheet against three people in connection with an August hotel fire on Mirza Ghalib Street that resulted in nine deaths, including five Bangladeshi nationals.

Charges

The chargesheet was submitted in court against Shikha Inn Hotel owner Bireshwar Roy, the hotel lessee Abu Zafar, and Zafar's wife, Sabah Zafar. Officials stated they face charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder along with violations of multiple safety rules.

The Incident

The fire started around two in the morning on August 19 on the second floor of an old five-storey building located at 15H Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata. Shikha Inn Hotel is one of several small hotels operating inside the building, which sits about 50 metres away from the West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services department headquarters. Investigators found that an electrical short circuit caused the fire, and the building had only one entry and exit point.

Victims

Five victims were Bangladeshi nationals, including a three-year-old boy. Four of them belonged to the same family: journalist Debashish Dutta, his wife Afsana Shimmin, their son Sharnashish Dutta, and the woman's father, Md Akram Ali. The family had travelled from Kushtia and Bengaluru, staying at the hotel before their planned return to Bangladesh on August 19. The fifth Bangladeshi victim was Ahmed Babu from Dhaka. The remaining four victims were Indian nationals, including 23-year-old Jharkhand resident Sandip Paswan, who worked at one of the hotels in the building.

Context

Fires in older commercial buildings and budget hotels often present severe safety challenges due to narrow entry points and inadequate emergency exits. Local authorities frequently investigate electrical faults and safety rule violations following such fatal incidents to enforce compliance among commercial property owners.