The bodies of journalist Debashish Dutta, his wife Afsana Sharmin, their two-year-old son Shoarnoshish Dutta and Afsana’s father Akram Ali, who were killed in a hotel fire in Kolkata, are expected to reach Kushtia on Saturday.
All formalities for repatriating the bodies have been completed, relatives said.
The West Bengal government and relevant authorities handed over the bodies to family representatives around 8pm on Friday after issuing the required clearances.
The bodies will now be transported from Kolkata to Bangladesh through the Benapole border, following completion of the remaining formalities.
The bodies were originally scheduled to return on Friday. However, financial constraints faced by the family and some administrative complications delayed the process. The Bangladesh government later stepped in to facilitate their repatriation.
The cost of transporting the four bodies from Kolkata to Bangladesh is estimated at Rs 250,000-300,000, or around Tk 400,000.
As the family was unable to bear the expense, the government is covering the transportation and related costs.
Soni, who has been coordinating with the authorities in Kolkata on behalf of Debashish’s family, said the necessary procedures for the handover had been completed.
She said some additional formalities were required after the relevant documents and a general diary filed with New Market Police Station were transferred to Lalbagh Police Station.
Meanwhile, efforts are underway to bring back the victims’ mobile phones, bags, luggage and other belongings.
Debashish’s brother-in-law Firoz Hasan Mithu said the necessary paperwork, including general diaries at the two police stations, had been completed.
Relatives Sanchay Ghosh and Kanchan Nandi, who are in Kolkata, are assisting with the process.
“We are not concerned about their phones, bags, luggage or other belongings anymore. We just want our loved ones brought home as soon as possible so that we can see them one last time,” relatives said.
Funeral arrangements in Kushtia
Family members, relatives, colleagues and well-wishers are waiting for the bodies to arrive in Kushtia, where funeral arrangements have already been made.
Debashish and his son Shoarnoshish will be cremated at Kushtia Mahashmashan according to Hindu rites. A site has also been selected to preserve their memory through a memorial burial.
Journalists’ leaders and Kushtia Deputy Commissioner Touhid bin Hasan have taken the initiative to ensure that the family does not have to bear the cost of the cremation, according to those involved.
Afsana Sharmin and her father Akram Ali will be buried at Kushtia Municipal Graveyard.
The Kushtia district administration will provide Tk 50,000 in financial assistance to each of the two bereaved families, according to officials.
The four members of the family were killed in a devastating fire that broke out late Tuesday night at a residential hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata’s New Market area.
Their deaths have plunged Kushtia’s journalist community and the wider public into grief, with relatives now waiting to receive the bodies and bid their loved ones a final farewell.
