Victims body to return via Benapole, Bhomra

The remains of five Bangladeshi nationals who died in a hotel fire in Kolkata will be repatriated through the Benapole border, while the body of another victim will be brought back through Bhomra in Satkhira.
Mohammad Khaled, deputy high commissioner of Bangladesh in Kolkata, said the mission was working to complete the necessary legal and administrative procedures to bring the remains home as soon as possible.

The five victims whose remains will be brought through Benapole are Debashish Dutta, Afsana Shimmin, Swarnashish Dutta, Mohammad Akram Ali and Ahmed Babu.

The body of SM Alimuzzaman, a resident of Satkhira, will be transported through the Bhomra border.
Khaled said completing the formalities was the mission’s top priority. If the process could not be completed on Friday, it would continue on Saturday.

The remains of the seventh Bangladeshi victim, Rebati Sarkar, will not be repatriated. Her family has requested that she be cremated in Kolkata.

The cremation requires clearance from the West Bengal local administration, and the matter has already been communicated to the relevant authorities.

The deadly fire broke out late Tuesday night at Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street, near Kolkata’s New Market area. Nine people were killed, including seven Bangladeshis and two Indians. Post-mortem examinations of all the victims have been completed, and the bodies of the two Indian victims have already been handed over to their families.

Preliminary investigations have raised questions about the hotel’s fire-safety clearance and the absence of a recent safety audit. Investigators also reportedly found that an emergency exit had been blocked by a wall, potentially making it difficult for guests to escape.

The New Market area is a popular destination for Bangladeshi visitors to Kolkata, many of whom travel to the city for medical treatment and accommodation.