Fire breaks out at Presidency University in Kolkata

KOLKATA - A major fire broke out early Friday at the newly formed Presidency University housed at the erstwhile Presidency College here which cradled the Bengal renaissance in the 19th century.

There were no reports of any casualties as the institution was closed for holidays, police and university sources said.

Eleven fire tenders were rushed to control the blaze in the chemistry department on the third floor of the Derozio building, they said.

“The fire started at around 4 a.m. It is yet to be controlled. The reasons are not yet known. There is a cause for concern as chemicals are stored in the chemistry department,” acting principal Amitabha Chattopadhyay said.

Founded in 1817 as Hindu College, the institution was christened Presidency College in 1855.

Earlier this year the West Bengal assembly passed a bill upgrading the 193 years old Presidency College into a university.

The college’s alumni include nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, social reformer Swami Vivekananda, freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, filmmaker Satyajit Ray, Marxist legend Jyoti Basu, economist Amartya Sen and scientist Satyendranath Bose.