Rituraj Hotel fire: Owner, manager held for culpable homicide after 14 deaths in Kolkata blaze
Times of India | 1 May 2025
Following a deadly fire at the Rituraj Hotel in Kolkata that resulted in 14 fatalities, authorities have arrested the hotel's owner, Akash Chawla, and manager, Gaurav Kapoor. They face charges including culpable homicide and violations of the West Bengal Fire Services Act. NEW DELHI: The owner and manager of the central Kolkata hotel where a devastating fire claimed 14 lives were arrested on Thursday, police said.
Akash Chawla, the owner of Rituraj Hotel, and manager Gaurav Kapoor were taken into custody in the morning, officials said.
A suo motu case has been registered at the Jorasanko police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), and relevant provisions of the West Bengal Fire Services Act, they added.
Police said that out of the 14 bodies recovered from the hotel, 12 have been identified and post-mortem examinations of these have been completed.
These bodies have been handed over to their families, they said, adding that efforts are on to ascertain the identities of the remaining two victims.
There were 88 guests staying in 42 rooms of the six-storey budget hotel, located in Mechhua in the congested Burrabazar area, when the fire broke out at 8.10pm on Tuesday.