Burrabazar hotel blaze: Supervisor arrested

Police have arrested a hotel supervisor in connection with the devastating fire that ripped through a hotel in the Burrabazar area of central Kolkata last week, killing 15 people and injuring several others.

Sheikh Mohammad Sagir Ali, a young man believed to have been responsible for storing highly inflammable materials inside the hotel premises, was taken into custody on Monday, police said.

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The hotel, which had at least 42 rooms, reportedly lacked basic safety infrastructure — most rooms had no windows, making it nearly impossible for occupants to escape the choking smoke. Rescue teams used hydraulic ladders to evacuate 25 people trapped inside, but the fire claimed 15 lives before it could be brought under control. Firefighters described the rescue operation as “extremely challenging” due to narrow lanes and poor visibility caused by thick smoke. Within 36 hours of the incident, police arrested the hotel owner Akash Chawla and manager Gaurav Kapoor. Both were charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, among other non-bailable offenses.

Shortly thereafter, contractor Khurshid Alam, who was in charge of the hotel’s interior design, was also arrested. During questioning, Alam told investigators he was abroad at the time of the renovation work and named Sagir Ali as the man in charge in his absence. Following intense interrogation, Ali was arrested, becoming the fourth person taken into custody in the case.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of violations and lapses that led to one of the deadliest fires in the city in recent memory.