12 still untraced in Stephen Court fire (Roundup)

KOLKATA - More than two days after Kolkata’s worst fire tragedy, the authorities were Thursday yet to trace the owner of the building where an inferno left 24 dead and a dozen untraced. The West Bengal government admitted the existence of a ‘vicious cycle’ that allowed illegal construction in the metropolis.

Twelve people injured in the Stephen Court blaze were still being treated in the hospital, but none of them was serious, the police said. The authorities began DNA tests to establish the identities of some of the burnt bodies after multiple claimants turned up.

Red faced after drawing flak for alleged collusion of the civic authorities in allowing the two illegal top floors in the Stephen Court building that were gutted in Tuesday’s fire, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told the assembly that a probe was on to find out how the illegal addition got clearance from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

Meanwhile, city police Joint Commissioner Javed Shamim said the owner of the building, located on Park Street, was still untraced. “We are yet to find him,” Shamim told IANS.

He said he had received two more missing complaints about people who were inside the building when the fire started. “The number of missing till Wednesday was 12. But I have to verify the two fresh complaints.”

Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen announced that a commission was being formed Friday to look into the fire tragedy. Meanwhile, angry residents locked out of the Stephen Court demanded entry into the building to see what remains of their homes. They staged an angry demonstration when the authorities stopped them from entering the premises.

As the KMC workers began clearing the rubble amidst the talk that the two damaged floors would be brought down, some of the residents moved the high court, which ordered the authorities not to demolish any part of the structure without taking leave of the judiciary.

“I understand there is a vicious cycle working in connivance with a section of the administration. The Stephen Court fire has opened our eyes and we need to intervene in similar situations everywhere to prevent such tragedies,” the chief minister said in the state assembly.

Meanwhile, a city court gave 14 days’ police remand to the two Stephen Court caretakers Tarun Bagaria and Ramshankar Singh, who were arrested Wednesday.

There were poignant scenes at the SSKM Hospital as more than one family staked claim to four corpses charred beyond recognition, prompting the authorities to conduct DNA tests.

The hospital has been witnessing drama since Wednesday with dispute arising over the identity of bodies earlier claimed as those of Ruhi Parvin, Pampa Chatterjee and Bhagyashree Dhali - all of whom worked for private firms in the ill-fated building.

The scenes became more confusing Thursday morning as the family members of Bidhyut Acharya and Pritish Ghosh - both in their 20s - identified the same body as that of their kin.

The Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) has been entrusted with the tests, Shamim said. “They have collected the bone marrows from the bodies. On Friday, they will take the samples from the blood relations of the victims,” he said.

In the evening, family members and friends held a candle light vigil for the victims as they silently marched for some three kilometers from the state-run SSKM Hospital to Stephen Court. They held photos of those who perished in the horrific blaze.

At the hospital, some relatives of victims lost their cool when leader of the opposition Partha Chattopadhyay arrived there. Alleging he was playing politics, some of the relatives of the missing screamed at the leader, who also shouted back.

Only the skeletal remains of the top two floors in Stephen Court exist. Everything inside the damaged portion is burnt - be it the wooden furniture, split air conditioners, refrigerators or electronic gadgets - the black ash floats out in the air as testimony.

The fire that broke out Tuesday in the commercial-cum-residential building lasted for hours.

Some of those trapped died when they jumped from higher floors to escape the leaping flames. Most others were caught in the blaze unable to escape after finding the only fire exit shut and blocked. Their charred bodies were discovered Tuesday night and early Wednesday.

A dozen of the injured are in hospital with burns or fractures.