Kolkata: As the death toll in the devastating warehouse fire at Anandapur on the southern outskirts of Kolkata climbed to 25 on Friday morning, the National
Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognisance of the incident and directed the concerned District Magistrate to submit an action taken report at the earliest. The NHRC’s intervention followed a complaint alleging serious human rights violations at the Wow Momo factory located in Anandapur. In a communique sent to the District Magistrate of South 24 Parganas district, under whose jurisdiction Anandapur falls, the Commission said the tragedy was allegedly caused by criminal negligence on the part of the company’s management, along with regulatory failures by several authorities. According to the communique, the alleged lapses involved the state fire services and labour departments, urban planning authorities and the local administration. The NHRC also flagged violations of provisions under the Factories Act and the Disaster Management Act. “The allegations made in the complaint prima facie seem to be violations of the human rights of the victims,” the communique stated.
Fears of Death Toll Rising Further
Meanwhile, officials from the state disaster management department said several people are still reported to be missing, raising fears that the death toll could increase further as search, recovery and identification efforts continue through the day.The blaze had broken out at a warehouse complex linked to the Wow Momo factory, triggering panic and a large-scale rescue operation in the densely packed industrial area.
Also Read: Anandapur Fire, Wow! Momo Fallout: How Safety Lapses Turned a Kolkata Warehouse into a Death Trap
Arrests Made
In connection with the incident, the owner of the adjacent Pushpanjali Decorators’ warehouse, Gangadhar Das, was arrested shortly after the fire. Das had claimed that the fire first spread from the Wow Momo factory. However, authorities said his version is not supported by preliminary findings.
West Bengal Warehouse Fire: What Led to the Fire
On Thursday, preliminary reports submitted by the state fire services department and a forensic team stated that the fire did not originate from the Wow Momo factory, but from the ill-fated Pushpanjali Decorators’ warehouse next door. Both reports suggested that the blaze started there before spreading to nearby structures.These findings contradict the claims made by the arrested warehouse owner, with investigators indicating that further forensic analysis will be carried out to establish the exact sequence of events and fix accountability.
Political temperatures also rose following the incident. On Friday afternoon, the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly is set to organise a protest rally in the Anandapur area. While the police initially denied permission, the matter was later taken to the Calcutta High Court, which granted permission with certain conditions imposed on the organisers.
Authorities said further investigation is underway to determine responsibility in what is being described as one of the deadliest industrial fires in the region in recent years.
(with inputs from IANS)
