The devastating fire at a godown and adjoining warehouse of a momo manufacturing unit in south Kolkata’s Anandapur has triggered a major political controversy, with the Baruipur Police District constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.
Police sources said the SIT was formed considering the seriousness and scale of the tragedy. The team will function under the direct supervision of the Superintendent of Police (SP) and the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Baruipur district, who will oversee a comprehensive investigation into all aspects of the fire.
The incident has drawn sharp political reactions at the state and national levels. Speaking at a public meeting in Barrackpore on Friday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the fire as “not an accident” and demanded a transparent investigation.
He said that 25 people had died in the incident and questioned why those responsible had not yet been fully brought to justice. Shah also raised questions about the ownership and investment links of the factory and alleged that the unit’s owner had not been arrested despite violations of fire safety norms. He called for strict punishment for those found responsible.
Police action has intensified over the past two days. On Thursday night, Manaranjan Shit, the manager of the momo company’s warehouse, and his deputy Raja Chakraborty were arrested from the Narendrapur area. Earlier, Gangadhar Das, identified as the owner of the second godown linked to the site, was also arrested.
With these detentions, the total number of arrests in connection with the incident has risen to three.
A senior official of the Baruipur Police District said that 27 missing persons reports have been registered at Anandapur police station so far. A total of 25 recovered body parts have been sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) for DNA analysis and identification.
Authorities said the confirmed number of fatalities and identities of the deceased will be established only after forensic reports are received. To expedite the process, the Baruipur SP personally visited the CFSL to review the progress of testing.
Recovery operations continued on Saturday. Officials said the collapsed tin shed of a decorator’s warehouse adjacent to the fire site is being dismantled, and debris is being carefully searched to check for additional remains. The search operation is still ongoing.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose visited the site around 12:30 PM on Friday and inspected the fire-ravaged warehouses. After the visit, he said he had come to gather facts rather than assign blame but stressed that greater administrative vigilance was necessary and that responsibility could not be avoided.
A forensic team also revisited the location on Friday and collected additional samples to support the ongoing investigation. The SIT probe is expected to examine the cause of the fire, safety compliance, ownership links, and possible lapses as part of the broader inquiry.
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