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Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led government over the deadly fire that razed two warehouses at Nazirabad near Kolkata earlier this week, demanding the resignation of the state fire minister and a hike in the compensation announced by the state government for the victims’ families.
The fire, which broke out in the early hours of Monday, has killed at least three people, while as many as 27 people remained missing till Wednesday. Some of those missing had called their families, saying they were trapped in the warehouse fire.
“We have received 27 missing complaints from families claiming that their kin, who worked in the two warehouses, remain untraceable till Thursday evening. The number is unlikely to climb any further. Around 16 samples, which included bones, skulls and other human remains charred beyond recognition, have been sent for forensic analysis to ascertain the number of bodies and their identities,” an officer from the Baruipur police district said.
Police have imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 (power to issue orders in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in the area.
Also Read:3 dead, 13 missing in deadly Bengal fire that gutted 2 godowns
Leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, along with around a dozen BJP legislators, visited Nazirabad on Thursday.
“The chief minister, despite staying just 10 km from Nazirabad, never visited the spot. Police imposed prohibitory orders in the area to stop me from going to the site, but they never stopped state ministers, the mayor and TMC leaders. The local police and local TMC leaders are responsible for such accidents as they allow illegal godowns to operate. The state government is reluctant. Why won’t the fire minister step down, taking responsibility for the tragedy? Why shouldn’t the state hike the compensation to the victims’ families from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh?” Adhikari said.
The BJP is likely to hold a rally on Friday to intensify its attack against the state government. Although police had denied permission for the rally, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday allowed it with certain conditions.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh said, “Soon after the accident, police, fire brigade personnel, ministers and TMC leaders rushed to the spot for rescue and relief work, while BJP leaders were busy showing their faces to their party’s new president. Now, after three days, they have suddenly come to stage a protest and block roads. Search operations are still continuing. Police and the local administration will do whatever it takes to carry out the task smoothly.”
Also Read: ‘Five minutes left’: Bengal man’s final call to wife as blaze gutted warehouses
Meanwhile, at least 14 samples of human remains were sent for forensic analysis to ascertain the number and identities of those killed in the massive fire that gutted two warehouses and an adjacent three-storey building at Nazirabad.
Police officers aware of the developments said blood samples from family members of the missing workers have already been collected for DNA matching.
“We have sent 14 exhibits, including skulls, bones and mangled human remains charred beyond recognition, to the forensic laboratory for analysis. Given the condition of the remains, it is difficult to estimate the body count without forensic analysis. It could be that two exhibits belong to one person,” an officer from the Baruipur police district said.
