Bodies of Seven Bangladeshis Handed Over Following Kolkata Fire

Bodies of Seven Bangladeshis Handed Over Following Kolkata FireThe bodies of seven Bangladeshi nationals who died in a devastating fire at a residential hotel in Kolkata’s central New Market area have been handed over to their grief-stricken relatives following the completion of post-mortem examinations.

The forensic procedures were conducted on Friday at the mortuary of the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital. By Friday evening, local authorities transferred the remains to family members waiting at the medical facility. Six of the victims were placed in coffins and loaded onto ambulances, whilst the body of the seventh victim was placed into a hearse.

Among the deceased are four members of a single family hailing from Kushtia. They have been identified as Debashish Dutta, his wife Afsana Sharmin, their three-year-old child Shornashish Dutta, and Debashish’s father-in-law, Md Akram Ali. The blaze also claimed the lives of Ahmed Babu from Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka, as well as SM Alimuzzaman and Rebati Sarkar, both from Satkhira district, with Sarkar originating from the Kaliganj upazila.

Following the handover at the hospital, family members accompanied the vehicles to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata on Friday night. Consular officials immediately initiated the paperwork to issue the required No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to enable cross-border repatriation. Relatives are also finalising clearances from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to complete the statutory legal and administrative requirements.

Six of the deceased will be repatriated to Bangladesh for final rites, while the family of Rebati Sarkar has chosen to perform his last rites and cremation in Kolkata at the historic Nimtala Crematorium.

Cross-border repatriation routes have been mapped according to geographic proximity. The remains of five victims—including the four family members from Kushtia and Ahmed Babu from Savar—will cross into Bangladesh through the Petrapole-Benapole land port, the busiest land crossing between the two countries. Meanwhile, the body of SM Alimuzzaman will travel across the border via the Ghojadanga-Bhomra checkpoint, directly entering his native Satkhira district to allow relatives to proceed with burial arrangements.