India has assured that “whatever needs to be done” will be taken up following the deaths of seven Bangladeshi nationals in a devastating Kolkata hotel fire, but its top diplomat in Dhaka on Thursday did not respond to questions over possible negligence or an investigation into the tragedy.
Nine people, including seven Bangladeshis, were killed after a fire broke out at a hotel near New Market in Kolkata, West Bengal, on Wednesday.
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi described the deaths as very sad while speaking to reporters after a courtesy meeting with Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain at the Secretariat.
Trivedi said: “It's very sad. We will certainly do whatever needs to be done.”
However, when journalists asked whether negligence had contributed to the fire and whether Indian authorities would investigate the incident, the high commissioner did not respond.
The silence on those questions comes as attention turns to the circumstances surrounding the fire and the deaths of the seven Bangladeshis.
Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain said his meeting with the Indian envoy was purely a courtesy call and that the deaths of the Bangladeshis were not discussed.
The meeting also touched on a possible visit to India by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Asked whether there had been any discussion on the prime minister's potential visit, Sakhawat said India had extended an invitation and expressed hope that he would travel there.
He said: “They have invited our prime minister. They just said that they hope he will go.”
The deaths of seven Bangladeshis in the Kolkata fire have added a cross-border dimension to the tragedy, with questions now focusing on how the blaze occurred, whether adequate fire-safety measures were in place and what action Indian authorities will take following the loss of lives.