An eight-year-old girl who stayed behind in Kushtia while her parents travelled to India for medical treatment is now the only immediate member of her family to survive after her father, mother, younger brother and maternal grandfather were killed in a fire at a residential hotel in Kolkata.
Kushtia journalist Debashish Dutta, 39, his wife Afsana Shimmin, 27, their son Sharnashish Dutta and Afsana’s father, Md Akram Ali, 64, were among those killed in the fire early Wednesday.
Their daughter, Dibanit Dutta, remained in Kushtia with her grandparents when the family travelled to India on August 3.
That decision saved her life.
The family was scheduled to return to Bangladesh on Wednesday morning after completing medical treatment. Instead, the fire broke out hours before their planned return.
The bodies of the four victims are expected to be brought back to Kushtia on Thursday.
Debashish’s brother-in-law Firoz Hossain travelled to Kolkata on Wednesday to receive the bodies. The Bangladesh embassy has also contacted the family regarding the repatriation, family sources said.
‘Where has my son gone?’
At the family’s home in Aruapara, Kushtia, Debashish’s mother, Swapna Dutta, struggled to come to terms with the loss of her only son.
“Even last night I spoke to my son on a video call. He was laughing and said, ‘Ma, tomorrow I’ll return home. I’ll meet everyone.’ He showed me the things he had bought. I never thought I would have to hear such news,” she said.
“We used to talk once every day. Now where has my son gone?”
Relatives gathered at the family home on Wednesday as news of the deaths spread. Dibanit, who lost both her parents and younger brother, sat silently amid the mourning.
Family members said Debashish and Afsana travelled to Kolkata on August 3 and later went to Bengaluru for treatment. After completing the treatment, they returned to Kolkata and were preparing to come home when the fire broke out.
‘How will the family survive now?’
Debashish’s father, Dilip Kumar Dutta, said he repeatedly called his son on Wednesday morning but received no response.
Later, a Bangladesh embassy official answered Firoz Hossain’s phone and informed the family of the deaths, he said.
“Before that, I had seen on television that people had died in a hotel fire in Kolkata. I could never imagine that my children would be among them,” Dilip said.
Debashish was his only child and the family’s main source of income.
“He used to bear the family expenses. He was our only source of income. My wife and I need around Tk10,000 worth of medicines every month. How will the family survive now?” he said.
“His only daughter has lost both her parents. I also have to think about how I will raise her.”
Dilip demanded an investigation into the fire and sought government assistance for the family.
Bodies expected Thursday
Firoz said he called Debashish’s mobile phone several times on Wednesday morning but received no response. A Bangladesh embassy official later answered and informed him of the deaths.
Firoz, who had a valid visa, travelled to Kolkata to receive the bodies on behalf of the family. He hoped to return to Bangladesh with them on Thursday after completing the necessary procedures.
The last rites of Debashish and his son are expected to be held at Kushtia Maha Shashan, while Akram Ali will be buried. A decision on Afsana’s funeral will be taken jointly by the two families in accordance with religious customs, family sources said.
A family mourns
The tragedy has also cast a pall of grief over Kushtia’s journalist community.
Debashish was executive editor of local daily Ajker Alo and also worked as the Kushtia correspondent for Channel Nine and Ajker Patrika, said Gazi Mahbub Rahman, former president of Kushtia Press Club and editor and publisher of Ajker Alo.
Prothom Alo staff reporter Touhidi Hasan described Debashish as a reliable journalist who made extensive efforts to gather and verify information.
“He was the person I relied on most for news. We were in regular contact, and he always tried his best to gather detailed information from the beginning of a report to the end,” Touhidi said.
Anisuzzaman Dablu, former general secretary of Kushtia Press Club and editor of Andoloner Bazar, said Debashish was loved by the local journalism community.
“He was a journalist through and through. News was at the centre of his thoughts. He even came to my office the day before leaving for India,” he said.
Fire kills at least nine
The fire broke out between 1:30am and 2am on Wednesday in a five-storey building on Mirza Ghalib Street near Kolkata’s New Market. The building housed several residential hotels.
At least nine people were killed and six injured, while around 80 people were rescued, according to Kolkata Police and international media reports.
Debashish’s home is in the Aruapara Rajarhat area of Kushtia city, while Akram Ali’s home is in Thanapara. The family had travelled to India for medical treatment.