# 65 dead in West Bengal fires since 2025, paper slams negligence 2026-08-21T02:01:26+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet At least 65 people, many of them poor, migrant workers and pilgrims, have died in major fires in West Bengal since 2025, with the latest blaze at the Shikha Inn in Kolkata highlighting systemic safety failures. The hotel was housed in a century-old building not designed for such use, with five floors of hotels and electrical systems overloaded by modern appliances. The August 17 fire at Tarapith, which killed several pilgrims, was also electrical, and spread rapidly due to flammable materials in the pilgrim hotel. The fires expose a broader pattern of repurposed old buildings, single stairways, and disregard for fire safety laws across India, the paper argues. It notes that the new BJP government, led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, has blamed the TMC for a 'legacy of negligence' but has itself been silent on crumbling infrastructure in its first 100 days. The paper urges Mr. Adhikari to focus on urban renewal and governance rather than political attacks. ## Indian Opinion Analysis West Bengal's fire death toll since 2025 is now the highest among Indian states in a two-year span, but the real issue is enforcement. The state has a dedicated Fire Minister, yet audits are often outsourced and inspections remain rare. Under the National Building Code, any building over 15 metres must have a fire NOC, but many older structures are grandfathered in. The Bengal government's focus on heritage conservation often clashes with safety retrofits: adding sprinklers or widening stairwells can alter facades. The next test will be the state's response to a Public Interest Litigation expected in the Calcutta High Court this week, which could force a timeline for building-by-building inspections in Kolkata's central business district. ## Coverage - thehindu.com The editorial blames both the current BJP government and its predecessor TMC for negligence, but focuses criticism on the BJP's failure to act on infrastructure and its use of fires for political attacks. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Kolkata, National Building Code, Shikha Inn, Suvendu Adhikari, Tarapith, West Bengal Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/65-dead-in-west-bengal-fires-since-2025-paper-slams-negligence/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/65-dead-in-west-bengal-fires-since-2025-paper-slams-negligence/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/