Kolkata fire: Hotel owner and manager arrested after blaze kills 14

The Kolkata Police arrested Akash Chawla and Gaurav Kapoor, the owner and manager of the hotel respectively, on Thursday morning.

Fourteen people were killed in the fire, which broke out at 7:30 pm on Tuesday on the premises of Rituraj Hotel in central Kolkata's Mechhuapatti area.

The flames were brought under control almost 10 hours after 10 fire tenders were pressed into service.

In a moment of panic, one jumped off the fourth floor fracturing his leg while some leaned out of windows and screamed for help in a desperate attempt to escape from the hotel, where 88 guests were staying in 42 rooms.

Among the killed, 11 were men, one woman and two children.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the primary opposition force in West Bengal, has claimed illegal construction with the backing of the local Trinamool Congress government led to this incident.

"The situation is such that now we have to find out how many legal constructions exist in West Bengal," said BJP leader Sajal Ghosh, who was denied entry into the locality, where the hotel exists, by police this morning.

Almost in the same tune, Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari wrote on X, "Lack of proper fire safety measures, and other negligence must have led to the horrific incident, which must be probed thoroughly, however what is most concerning is that the tragedy struck at the heart of Kolkata, yet the response wasn't adequate and prompt considering the location. Why?

"Is this because, the whole Administration and WB Govt is on a 3 day vacation in Digha and the People of WB are left to fend for themselves?"