Kolkata hotel fire: 5 Bangladeshi victims repatriated through Benapole, 1 via Bhomra

Five of the seven Bangladeshi nationals killed in a fire at Shikha Inn residential hotel in Kolkata were repatriated through the Benapole International Checkpost this afternoon.

Indian immigration officials at Petrapole handed over the bodies to Bangladesh Immigration Police at the zero line around 5:30pm after completing the necessary formalities, said Ferdous Hossain, officer-in-charge of Benapole Checkpost Immigration Police.

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The deceased are Debashish Dutta, Kushtia district correspondent of Ajker Patrika, his wife Afsana Sharmin, their three-year-old son Sharnashish Dutta, his father-in-law Md Akram Ali, and businessman Ahmed Babu from Aminbazar in Savar.

The five had travelled to India for medical treatment.

Relatives of the victims had been waiting at Benapole Land Port with ambulances since morning to receive the bodies.

Mohammad Ali, elder brother of Ahmed Babu, said Ahmed had travelled to Kolkata two days before the incident for medical treatment. He had arrived in Benapole on Friday to receive his brother’s body.

The fire broke out around 2:00am on August 19 at the hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street, killing nine people, including seven Bangladeshis and two Indians.

Meanwhile, the body of SM Alimuzzaman, a resident of Satkhira, was brought back through the Bhomra border around 12:30pm today.

The body of Rebati Sarker, another Bangladeshi victim from Kaliganj in Satkhira, will reportedly be cremated in Kolkata at her family’s request.