Two senior employees of the popular food chain Wow! Momo were arrested on Thursday night in connection with the fire at two warehouses in Kolkata’s Anandapur area.
The police identified the accused as Raja Chakraborty, Wow! Momo’s deputy manager, and Manoranjan Sheet, the warehouse manager, and said they were arrested from the Narendrapur area. Investigators are looking into their whereabouts and specific responsibilities during the early hours of January 26, when the blaze first erupted.
While the official death toll has mounted to 25, 27 people are still missing.
West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose visited the site on Friday to assess the situation. Describing the scene as “deeply shocking”, he said that the disaster was a result of systemic neglect.
“This is a deeply shocking, tragic, and disturbing scene. Precious human lives have been lost in this fire. Everyone involved must take responsibility. There were steps that should have been taken before, during, and after the fire broke out, steps that were neglected, leading to this disaster,” Governor Bose stated.
He alleged a clear failure of oversight. “I am here on a fact-finding exercise, not on a fault-finding exercise. I do not want to blame anybody, but the fact remains that there has been failure on the part of the authorities concerned, else this kind of repeated incident would not have taken place. Exemplary action is required.”
The tragedy has also sparked protests, with Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition, leading a protest march from Dhalai Bridge toward the Narendrapur police station following a Calcutta High Court order. Adhikari has demanded the immediate arrest of all those responsible for the lapses.
As the search for the missing continues, the Governor confirmed he is preparing an advisory to ensure such “disshappenings” do not recur. “The basic tenet of safety is accidents are not accidental,” he said, calling for mandatory fire audits at all major public and industrial destinations.
The fire reportedly broke out around 3 am on January 26 while workers were sleeping inside the facility. The warehouse was heavily stocked with dry food packets and soft drinks, which fuelled the rapid spread of the flames. The property owner, Gangadhar Das, has already been remanded in police custody until February 4.
Four days later, the site remains a scene of grim recovery efforts. Rescue teams are utilising cranes and gas-cutters to sift through the charred remains, while distraught families continue to search the perimeter for any sign of their loved ones.
Earlier on Friday, a delegation from the Socialist Unity Centre of India attempted to visit the site but was intercepted by the police.