Tarapith hotel fire: Police search for main hotel owner absconding since mishap

The death toll in the Tarapith hotel fire in West Bengal’s Birbhum district rose to nine as police launched a manhunt for hotel owner Tapas Paul. His son and co-owner Kalyan Paul was arrested, while investigators examine alleged safety lapses and evacuation arrangements

Kolkata: With the death toll in the devastating fire at Tarapith in Birbhum district of West Bengal on Monday morning rising to nine by Monday night, the police on Tuesday started a massive manhunt to track Tapas Paul, the main owner of hotel Bideshini, who went absconding since the mishap took place.

Tapas’ son and a co-owner of the hotel, Kalyan Paul, had already been arrested and he will be presented at a district court in Birbhum later on Tuesday. The public prosecutor will seek his police custody for further interrogation in the matter. The main charge against Kalyan is that he tried to mislead the investigators about the cause of death because of the fire immediately after the mishap on Monday morning.

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While Kalyan claimed that panic prevented residents from locating the exit door at the back of the hotel building and prompted them to rush through the reception area where many were burnt, several residents claimed that the exit door at the back was closed and hence some rushed through the reception area to come out of the building.

Till, Monday evening eight people were reported killed in the fire mishap, out of whom five were from the same family from Meghalaya who came to Tarapith to offer Puja at the iconic Goddess Tara temple there. On Monday another person named Rajesh Sharma, a resident of Dhupguri in Jalpaiguri district in North Bengal, who was under treatment at the local Rampurhat Government Medical College & Hospital, also died.

Birbhum District Police had registered a suo motu case in the matter. A district police insider said that the forensic team has already collected samples to check the overall security of the lodge. The police have also started their own investigation in the matter. At the same time, the electrical and fire safety systems of other hotel accommodations in Tarapith will also be checked.

In addition to electrical wiring, distribution boards, meters, earthing and permitted loads, fire extinguishers, hydrants, pumps, water tanks, hose reels, fire alarms, emergency lighting and smoke detection systems will be checked. The exit routes, stairs and emergency exit paths for guests in case of danger will also be checked. It will also be verified whether the necessary clearances related to fire safety are available.