8 Dead As Factory Fire Sparks Political Face-off In West Bengal's Anandapur

Anandapur: The death toll in the devastating fire at a momo factory and decorator's warehouse at Anandapur in Kolkata on late Sunday night reached to eight. The number of death toll is likely to increase further.

It is believed that 30-35 people were present when the fire broke out. On Tuesday morning, Fire Minister Sujit Bose visited the spot. He faced protests from the BJP cadres there. The BJP alleged that the firefighters struggled to bring the fire under control throughout Monday, while the Fire Minister was on leave. According to the BJP, Bose did not deem it necessary to visit the site even after hearing about the tragic fate of so many people.

Bose, who reviewed the situation later addressed the media, said, “There was a momo factory and a decorator's shop spread across an area of ​​approximately 35,000 square feet. We received news of the fire around 3 am. Subsequently, 12 engines were pressed into action. After that, the fire was brought under control."

Although the fire was brought under control in the main spot, firefighters struggled to douse fire that raged in other pockets. The Fire Minister said, "Fire engines are still stationed there because there were many pocket fires. The place was like a tinderbox because there were a lot of flammable materials. Senior fire officers also came to the site."

Minister Arup Biswas and local MLA Firdousi Begum visited the site on Monday. However, the Fire Minister did not visit the spot on the day. Regarding this, Sujit Bose said, "Yesterday was Republic Day. Many of us were busy in different places. Despite that, the fire extinguishing efforts were carried out. The structure that was here had to be cut through in many places to gain entry.” Although he did not visit the scene, he kept himself informed about the fire throughout, Bose said.

Meanwhile, after this incident, the question has arisen if such a large factory even had a fire extinguishing system. Regarding this, the Fire Minister said, "We do conduct fire audits. It's not that fire audits don't happen. We have to see if a fire audit was conducted here. That will be investigated. Forensic examinations will be conducted here, as in all places. An FIR will also be filed."

Bose said besides, some people are still missing. “Some have been rescued. I cannot give the complete list right now. The police are investigating the matter,” he added.

Meanwhile, according to police and fire department sources, the recovered bodies are so badly burnt that they are unrecognisable. Mainly bones and skeletons are being recovered. DNA samples are being collected from family members to confirm the identities of the deceased. The remains will be handed over to the families only after the identification process is completed based on the DNA report.

Earlier in the day, former Indian cricketer and BJP MLA from Moyna, Ashok Dinda, visited the accident site. Many workers from the Moyna area worked in that factory.

On Monday, as soon as the news of the fire spread, relatives of the workers arrived at the scene. One of those workers is Raju Manna, a resident of Uttar Dhalhara in Tamluk, Purba Medinipur, last spoke to his wife on Sunday night.

Since then, he has been missing. His mother and some relatives came to the Narendraput police station on Tuesday. Raju's mother, Seema Manna, said, "The factory where he was working caught fire. We spoke for the last time that night. We haven't heard from him since. My brother and uncle came, but they didn't find anything. There was just fire. A complaint has been filed with the police."

Another relative, Madhusudan Manna, said, " We have filed a complaint and the police called us today." Another relative, Soumen Bera, said, "We have informed Minister Arup Biswas about the missing person. We went to the Anandapur police station to file a missing person report, but they didn't accept it. Later, we filed a missing person report at the Narendraput police station. But they didn't give us any document confirming the filing of the complaint. Who is responsible for this accident? The owner cannot be found. What will happen to the families of the missing or deceased?"