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Kolkata hotel owner arrested after blaze kills nine
Police have arrested the owner of a hotel in Kolkata after a fire killed nine people, including seven Bangladeshi nationals. The blaze broke out at the Hotel International in the city's central…
Police have arrested the owner of a hotel in Kolkata after a fire killed nine people, including seven Bangladeshi nationals. The blaze broke out at the Hotel International in the city's central business district early Tuesday morning. Among the deceased, one was from Jharkhand and one from Siliguri in West Bengal's Darjeeling district.
The fire was brought under control after several hours. Initial reports suggest a short circuit may have caused the blaze, though an official investigation is underway. The arrested owner faces charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The Bangladeshi victims were among a group of guests staying at the hotel. The fire department has been asked to inspect all similar lodging establishments in the area for safety compliance. The owner is expected to be produced before a city court on Wednesday.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Hotel fires in Indian cities often expose lax enforcement of fire safety norms. Kolkata's municipal rules require commercial buildings to have fire NOCs, but compliance checks are infrequent. The arrest under Section 304 IPC, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, signals the police believe negligence was involved. The next step for victims' families will be claiming compensation from the West Bengal government's disaster relief fund, which typically provides Rs 4 lakh per death in such cases. Watch for the court's decision on the owner's bail plea and the fire department's audit report on other hotels in the area.
Source: ndtv.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
