hotel fire
The questioning of the arrested owner of Shika Inn, Bireswar Mitra, and three leaseholders of his hotels — Abu Jafar (in police custody), Umesh Singh and Jitendra Singh — has revealed the presence of such a gang, according to police.
Police officers indicated that these touts charged anything between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh through organised “local syndicates” to “arrange” for the necessary permits and licences to run the lodge for three years though the hotel lacked several safety parameters. The establishment failed to maintain basic fire-safety equipment and allowed the premises to remain heavily congested with everyday materials, according to police reports. Shika Inn fire killed nine people last Wednesday. The clutter obstructed access routes, making it difficult for firefighters to manoeuvre during the emergency and creating a severe threat to human life and personal safety. “Both probes have thrown up certain similarities. We will soon seek from the fire department to help us in this wider probe,” claimed a police source.
We are also studying the financial transactions of Bireswar and Abu in this regard,” said an officer. “We are collecting evidence by questioning the two men in custody. But we are also building on the leads.
The investigation revealed that Jafar and Mitra turned the floor space into a reception and nine rooms, dividing the area with plywood partitions.
Kolkata: Lalbazar has identified several people for questioning “at the earliest” for having alleged links with an organised tout gang that arranged for fire licences for hotels in central Kolkata. They had installed a false ceiling that allowed the fire to travel inside the rooms, trapping the guests inside. No permissions for these modifications were taken but the hotel continued to function uninterrupted, claimed cops.