Kolkata warehouse fire toll now feared at 27; Suvendu Adhikari seeks Bengal fire minister’s resignation

• 27 feared dead in Nazirabad warehouse fire in West Bengal
• BJP and TMC clash over fire response and alleged illegal warehouses
• Court allows BJP protest march with limited participants over the incident

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The devastating fire that consumed two warehouses in Nazirabad earlier this week has escalated into a major political flashpoint in West Bengal, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launching a sharp attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s government.

Official sources now indicate that 27 individuals are feared dead in the blaze. A senior IPS officer from the Baruipur police district confirmed that 27 missing person complaints have been filed by families of workers from the facilities, according to an HT report.

The officer stated that around 16 forensic samples, including bones and skulls charred beyond recognition, are undergoing analysis to determine the final death toll and identify victims. Blood samples from relatives have been collected for DNA matching, officials aware of the developments said.

On Thursday, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari led a delegation of BJP legislators to the accident site, where police had imposed prohibitory orders.

In a scathing critique, Adhikari questioned why the chief minister had not visited the site despite its proximity, and accused local police and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders of enabling the operation of illegal warehouses. He demanded the resignation of the state’s fire services minister and called for the compensation for victims’ families to be increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

The ruling TMC swiftly retaliated. Senior leader Kunal Ghosh accused the BJP of political opportunism, stating that while police, fire services, ministers and TMC leaders were engaged in immediate rescue efforts, BJP figures were occupied with their party’s internal affairs. Ghosh asserted that the local administration remains focused on the ongoing search operation.

The political clash is set to move to the streets, after the Calcutta High Court granted the BJP conditional permission to hold a protest march on Friday. Justice Suvra Ghosh allowed the rally from Sitala Mandir to near Narendrapur police station, but restricted the number of participants to 2,000 instead of the requested 3,000, as per a TOI report.

The court stipulated that a five-member delegation may submit a deputation at the police station and directed the BJP to finalise the route with police by Thursday evening.