Now Reading: Kolkata Police charge three for Shikha Inn fire that killed nine
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Kolkata Police charge three for Shikha Inn fire that killed nine
The Story in Brief
Kolkata Police have filed a chargesheet at a Kolkata lower court against three people for the 19 August fire at Hotel Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street that killed nine, including a child. The accused are Bireshwar Moitra (identified as Bireshwar Roy by Hindustan Times), the hotel's owner, Abu Zafar, the leaseholder, and Zafar's wife, Saba Zafar, who was arrested on 28 October after being absconding.
They face charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita including culpable homicide and safety rule violations. The 350-page chargesheet cites 90 witnesses and a forensic report. It alleges that hotel rooms were illegally subdivided without Kolkata Municipal Corporation or fire department approval, and that overloaded air conditioners caused an electrical short-circuit that spread fire. Five victims were Bangladeshi nationals visiting for medical treatment.
The building was originally a residential complex illegally converted into a hotel, the chargesheet states.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The chargesheet names three individuals for the Shikha Inn hotel fire that killed nine, including five Bangladeshi nationals. Both sources are straight news-agency style accounts that report the police version without any discernible editorial slant. The only deviation is a minor naming difference: The Hans India gives the owner as ‘Bireshwar Moitra’, while Hindustan Times gives it as ‘Bireshwar Roy’. Neither outlet attributes the alternate name to the other source or explains the discrepancy, leaving the variation unremarked in otherwise identical coverage. The chargesheet, filed on 12 November 2026, has been accepted by the court, the next step is the hearing on the charges, which the sources do not date.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): thehansindia.com (neutral report), hindustantimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
