Kolkata fire: Suvendu Adhikari leads rally, demands arrest of food chain owners over warehouse fire

Kolkata: Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday led a procession of hundreds of party supporters at Narendrapur near Kolkata, demanding the arrest of the owners of a city-based popular food chain following the death of several of their labourers in a devastating fire.

The blaze broke out in the early hours of January 26 at the warehouses of a momo manufacturing unit and that of a decorator at Nazirabad within Narendrapur police station limits.

Adhikari alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) was shielding those responsible for the tragedy and showing insensitivity, claiming that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had not visited the site even five days after the incident, while rescue and search operations were still underway.

Displaying a purported photograph of one of the owners of the food chain, Adhikari claimed the picture was taken and shared by the owner on social media when he was part of the CM's business delegation abroad in the past.

Adhikari alleged that the state was not taking action against the food chain owners because of their proximity to the top brass of the government and the TMC.

PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the photograph displayed by Adhikari at the rally site.

"Merely arresting the owner of a decorator firm and two junior officials of the food chain won't work. We want the immediate arrest of those at the helm of running the companies. We demand justice for their families who lost their loved ones," he said.

Adhikari also said the announcement of Rs 10 lakh compensation for the next of kin of the deceased was inadequate and demanded government jobs for one member of each affected family.

"The fire minister arrived 32 hours after the incident, while the CM did not find it important to come. The manner in which this issue is being handled is inhuman and reflects complicity of the ruling party," he said.

He criticised the state government’s response to the incident, alleging illegal construction of warehouses without adequate fire safety norms due to encroachment of waterbodies.

"We also demand that the list of all those missing in the incident be published and all those responsible for landfilling the waterbodies be identified and brought under a thorough, impartial probe," Adhikari said.

The rally, which began from Sahid Khudiram Metro station, passed through EM Bypass and Garia Dhalai Bridge before ending around 200 metres from Narendrapur police station, as directed by the Calcutta High Court on Thursday.

BJP workers carried placards and raised slogans against the state government during the march.

On Thursday, Adhikari visited the vicinity of the fire site along with several BJP MLAs but did not enter the restricted zone due to prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

"Severely charred body parts are still being recovered from the debris days after the blaze," he said.

"My sources say body parts are being sent in bags to Katapukur morgue (in Kolkata). Those bodies which were recovered in relatively intact condition have been identified, but what is being found now is reduced to ash, like charcoal," Adhikari told reporters.

Forensic experts had indicated that DNA profiling in such cases would be challenging, he said.

So far, 21 body parts, including partially burnt and skeletal remains, have been recovered from the site, officials said.

"We cannot confirm the exact death toll as we have recovered body parts, which may belong to a single or different individuals. This can be confirmed only after the DNA tests," a police officer said.