Five Bangladeshi victims of Kolkata hotel fire to be repatriated via Benapole border today
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The remains of five Bangladeshi nationals who died in a hotel fire in Kolkata, India, are expected to arrive in Bangladesh via the Petrapole-Benapole border crossing today. The repatriation follows the completion of necessary diplomatic and administrative procedures between the two nations.
The victims were among nine people who perished in a fire that broke out on August 19 at a residential hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata’s New Market area. Seven of the fatalities were Bangladeshi citizens. The five individuals being repatriated today include Kushtia-based journalist Debashish Dutta, his wife Afsana Sharmin, their three-year-old son Swarnashish Dutta, Afsana’s father Akram Ali, and Dhaka-based businessman Jobayer Babu.
Local authorities in Benapole have confirmed that preparations are in place to receive the bodies. Benapole Checkpost Immigration Officer-in-Charge Ferdous Hossain stated that legal processes are being finalized to facilitate the handover to family members waiting at the border port.
According to reports, the remains of another victim, S.M. Alimuzzaman from Satkhira, are scheduled to be repatriated through the Bhomra border crossing. The family of the seventh Bangladeshi victim, Revati Sarkar, has requested that her final rites be performed in India.
The tragedy has deeply affected the grieving families, many of whom have been waiting at the Benapole port since yesterday. Mohammad Ali, the brother of businessman Jobayer Babu, noted that his brother had traveled to Kolkata two days prior to the incident for medical treatment. Family members of the Dutta family, including brother-in-law Firoz Hasan, have been overseeing the arrangements in Kolkata.
Following their return to Bangladesh, the deceased will be laid to rest according to their respective religious traditions. Family sources confirmed that Debashish Dutta and his son Swarnashish will be cremated according to Hindu rites, while Afsana Sharmin and her father, Akram Ali, will be buried following Islamic customs. The couple is survived by their ten-year-old daughter.
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