Kolkata hotel fire: 9 victims identified, 7 are Bangladeshi nationals
Synopsis
Nine people — including seven Bangladeshi nationals, among them a family of four from Kushtia who had come to Kolkata for medical treatment — died not from flames but from suffocation in a hotel fire on Mirza Ghalib Street. The blaze was reportedly not intense, making the death toll a damning indictment of fire safety and evacuation failures in a budget hotel corridor frequented by medical tourists.
Key Takeaways
Nine people died in a hotel fire on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata on 20 August ; all identities have been confirmed by Kolkata Police .
Seven of the nine victims were Bangladeshi nationals ; one was from Giridih, Jharkhand and one from Siliguri, Darjeeling .
A family of four from Kushtia, Bangladesh — including a toddler and a 74-year-old — had travelled to Kolkata for medical treatment .
All nine died primarily from suffocation caused by thick black smoke; the fire itself was reportedly low-intensity .
The New Market Police Station registered a suo motu case; the fire services department filed a separate complaint.
The West Bengal government has ordered a special safety audit of all hotels, lodges, and guesthouses in the Mirza Ghalib Street area.
Kolkata Police on Thursday, 20 August released the identities of all nine persons who died in a devastating fire at a hotel building on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata. Of the nine deceased, seven are Bangladeshi nationals, one is from Giridih in Jharkhand, and one from Siliguri in Darjeeling district, North Bengal. Investigators have also disclosed the passport numbers of the seven Bangladeshi citizens killed in the blaze.
Who the Victims Were
Four of the seven Bangladeshi nationals belonged to the same family. Debasish Dutta (39), a journalist and resident of Kushtia district, Bangladesh, had travelled to Kolkata with his wife Afsana Shirmiin (27), their toddler son Swarnasish Dutta, and his father-in-law Mohammad Akram Ali (74) — the family had come specifically for Akram's medical treatment.
The fifth Bangladeshi victim was Babu Ahmed (37), a resident of Dhaka. The remaining two — Rebati Sarker (female) and M. Alimuzzaman — were residents of Kaliganj, Bangladesh; their ages have not been disclosed by police.
The eighth victim, Sandeep Paswan (19), was reportedly a staff member at one of the hotels housed in the same building and a native of Giridih, Jharkhand. The ninth, Yog Narayan Aggarwal (68), was a resident of Siliguri in Darjeeling district.
How the Deaths Occurred
According to the initial investigation, the nine victims died primarily from suffocation rather than burn injuries. The fire, which broke out on the third floor of the building, was reportedly not of high intensity. However, a critical absence of proper ventilation and evacuation facilities allowed thick black smoke to spread rapidly through the structure, leaving occupants with no viable escape route.
The nine deceased included six males, two females, and one child. The circumstances point to a systemic failure in fire safety compliance rather than the scale of the blaze itself — a pattern seen in several previous hotel fire tragedies across Indian cities.
Legal Action and Government Response
The New Market Police Station, under whose jurisdiction the building falls, has registered a suo motu case. The state fire services department has also filed a separate complaint, signalling a parallel track of accountability.
The West Bengal government has announced a detailed special audit of all hotels, lodges, and guesthouses in the Mirza Ghalib Street area in the wake of the tragedy. The audit is expected to assess fire safety compliance, ventilation standards, and emergency evacuation infrastructure across the densely packed hospitality cluster.
Wider Context
Mirza Ghalib Street is a well-known budget hospitality corridor in central Kolkata, frequented by medical tourists — particularly from Bangladesh — visiting the city's hospitals. The presence of a Bangladeshi family that had travelled specifically for medical care underscores the vulnerability of this demographic in buildings that may lack adequate safety infrastructure. This incident is likely to intensify scrutiny of fire safety norms across similar lodging clusters in other Indian cities as well.
Authorities are expected to share further findings as the investigation progresses.
Point of View
Yet nine people died because a building lacked basic ventilation and evacuation infrastructure. Budget hotel corridors catering to medical tourists from Bangladesh are a well-established feature of central Kolkata, and their fire safety compliance has long been a grey zone. The West Bengal government's audit announcement is the right first step, but audits announced after tragedies have a poor track record of producing lasting enforcement. The deeper question is whether this incident will produce structural reform or another round of short-term inspections that fade from public memory.
NationPress
20 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who were the victims of the Kolkata hotel fire on Mirza Ghalib Street?
Nine people were killed: seven Bangladeshi nationals, one person from Giridih in Jharkhand, and one from Siliguri in Darjeeling. The Bangladeshi victims included a family of four from Kushtia — journalist Debasish Dutta, his wife Afsana Shirmiin, their toddler son Swarnasish, and his father-in-law Mohammad Akram Ali (74), who had come to Kolkata for medical treatment.
How did the nine victims die in the Kolkata fire?
According to the initial investigation, all nine died primarily from suffocation rather than burn injuries. The fire on the third floor was reportedly not of high intensity, but a lack of proper ventilation and evacuation facilities caused thick black smoke to spread through the building, leaving occupants trapped.
What legal action has been taken after the Kolkata hotel fire?
The New Market Police Station has registered a suo motu case, and the state fire services department has filed a separate complaint. Both actions are running on parallel tracks to establish accountability.
What has the West Bengal government announced following the fire?
The West Bengal government has ordered a detailed special audit of all hotels, lodges, and guesthouses in the Mirza Ghalib Street area to assess fire safety compliance, ventilation standards, and emergency evacuation infrastructure.
Why were Bangladeshi nationals staying at a hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street?
Mirza Ghalib Street is a well-known budget hospitality corridor in central Kolkata frequently used by medical tourists from Bangladesh visiting the city's hospitals. The family of four among the victims had specifically travelled to Kolkata for the medical treatment of 74-year-old Mohammad Akram Ali.
