Published : 20 Aug 2026, 08:21 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:34 AM
Two of the seven Bangladeshis killed in the Kolkata hotel fire were from Satkhira. Their families are now waiting for the bodies to be brought home.
The victims have been identified as Md Alimuzzaman Saju, originally from Bareya village in Tarali Union of Kaliganj Upazila and a resident of Palashpol in Satkhira town, and Rebati Sarkar of Tetulia village in the same Upazila.
Relatives said procedures were under way to bring their bodies back to Bangladesh.
Saju was a maternal cousin of Tajkin Ahmed Chisti, a BNP leader in Satkhira and former mayor of the municipality.
Rebati, the mother of two daughters and a son, was married to Bhavesh Sarkar, a brick-kiln worker from Tetulia.
Saju’s cousin Tahmid Shahed Chayan said he had travelled to Bengaluru for medical treatment and later checked into the Kolkata hotel after completing it.
He said Saju was staying there when the fire broke out early on Wednesday.
Indian media reported that the blaze started around 2am at Hotel Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street near New Market and later spread to nearby buildings.
Most guests were asleep when smoke began filling the rooms, prompting panic as people tried to escape.
Four fire engines were sent to the scene, while police and disaster management teams joined the rescue operation.
Around 60 people were rescued from the building, with several taken to hospital after inhaling smoke, according to Indian media reports.
Anandabazar, citing local residents, reported that flames were not visible from outside and that thick black smoke was seen billowing from the building.
The hotel was located in a narrow alley, which made access difficult during the emergency.
Nine people were killed in the fire, including six men, two women and a child.
Among the Bangladeshi victims were Kushtia journalist Debashish Dutta, his wife Afsana Sharmin, their 3-year-old son Sharnashish Dutta and his father-in-law Akram Ali.
Debashish and his family had been due to return to Bangladesh after medical treatment in India.
Another Bangladeshi victim was Ahmed Babu of Begunbari in Aminbazar, Savar.
In Satkhira, news of Saju’s death cast a pall over both Bareya village and Palashpol.
Bikramjit Sarkar, a neighbour of Rebati, said she had also travelled to India for treatment.
“No one from her family is currently at home,” he said, adding that they could no longer be reached by phone.
