Bodies of Five Bangladeshis Killed in Kolkata Hotel Fire Await Repatriation

Relatives are awaiting the arrival of five bodies at the Benapole Land Port in Bangladesh, following a devastating fire at a Kolkata hotel that claimed their lives. The victims, including journalist Debashish Dutta, his wife Afsana Sharmin, their three-year-old son Swarnashish Dutta, Afsana's father Akram Ali, and businessman Zubayer Babu, are being repatriated through the Petrapole-Benapole border.

Post-mortems for all five victims have been completed. Zubayer Babu had traveled to Kolkata for medical treatment shortly before the fire. His brother, Mohammad Ali, has been waiting at Benapole with a freezer van, facing delays in the repatriation process due to complications in obtaining necessary clearances.

Debashish Dutta's brother-in-law, Firoz Hasan, is in Kolkata overseeing the repatriation of Debashish and his family. Journalists and relatives from Kushtia are also gathered at Benapole. According to family sources, Debashish and his son Swarnashish will be cremated according to Hindu rites, while Afsana and Akram will be buried according to Islamic traditions.

The fire, which broke out early on August 19 at Shikha Inn in Kolkata's New Market area, resulted in the deaths of nine people. The repatriation process for other Bangladeshi victims is also underway, with one body to be sent via the Bhomra border and another to be cremated in India at the family's request.

“

The body was expected to enter Bangladesh in the evening, but the repatriation was delayed due to complications in obtaining the necessary clearance.