Police arrested two more persons last night in connection with the devastating fire at the Wow! Momo warehouse in Anandapur, even as questions continue to mount over possible lapses by the authorities and the company’s management.
The arrested persons have been identified as Manoranjan Sheet, the manager of Wow! Momo warehouse at Anandapur, and Raja Chakraborty, its deputy manager. Both are employees of the food chain. They were picked up from the Narendrapur area late on Thursday night and produced before the Baruipur sub-divisional court on Friday, which remanded them to police custody for further interrogation. According to police sources, investigators are probing the role of the two officials at the time of the fire, including their presence on the night of 25 January when the blaze broke out at the warehouse around midnight.
Police are also examining whether there was any negligence on their part and if mandatory fire safety measures were in place at the facility. The fire had engulfed two adjacent warehouses in the Nazirabad area of Anandapur. Police had earlier arrested Gangadhar Das, the owner of the neighbouring warehouse, from where the fire is suspected to have originated before spreading to the Wow! Momo storage unit. Several workers on night duty were trapped inside the premises. At least 16 deaths have been officially confirmed in the twin warehouse fire. However, it was reported the recovery of 21 body parts from the site. DNA mapping has been initiated to establish the identities of the victims. Police records still list 28 persons as missing. In a statement issued earlier, Wow! Momo had said that two of its employees and one contractual security guard were among those who died in the incident.
The company announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the deceased, along with a commitment to provide monthly salaries for life. However, questions had been raised over why no one responsible for the management of the Wow! Momo warehouse had been arrested. With Thursday night’s arrests, the investigation has now moved closer to examining possible managerial lapses, including the adequacy of fire-fighting arrangements at the site. Wow! Momo has claimed that unauthorised cooking was taking place in the adjacent warehouse and that the fire spread due to negligence there.
The company has also assured full cooperation with the investigating agencies. Meanwhile, the BJP has alleged administrative negligence in handling the incident. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari demanded the arrest of the owner of Wow! Momo, alleging that police were shielding him due to his links with the Chief Minister. The BJP has called for a protest at Dhala Bridge on Friday, from where a march proceeded to Kamalgazi crossing, followed by a deputation to the police.