They had finished their medical appointments, packed their bags and bought gifts for loved ones waiting back home. After days of treatment and travel, the family was finally preparing to return to Bangladesh.
But their journey ended in flames.
A devastating fire at Hotel Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata’s New Market area claimed nine lives early Wednesday, including five Bangladeshis. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that four members of Kushtia journalist Debashish Dutta’s family were among the victims.
Debashish, acting editor of Kushtia daily Ajker Alo and correspondent for Ajker Patrika and Channel 9, had travelled to India with his wife Afsana Sharmin, their three-and-a-half-year-old son Shornoshish and his father-in-law Akram Ali for medical treatment.
They were days away from returning home.
The tragedy wiped out an entire branch of a family in a single night. Debashish, Afsana, little Shornoshish and Akram Ali all died in the blaze, leaving behind eight-year-old Mahima Dutta Pakhi, who is now facing life without her parents, brother and grandfather.
Debashish was remembered by colleagues as a committed journalist and a kind-hearted person. Years ago, he married Afsana, crossing social and religious barriers for love. Together, they built a family that was suddenly taken away.
The family arrived in India on 3 August, travelling to Bengaluru before returning to Kolkata on Tuesday night. They were scheduled to cross the border the following day.
Throughout the trip, Debashish shared cheerful updates on social media. Hours before the fire, he posted what became his final message: “After 13 continuous days, bye bye Bengaluru…”
For his family in Kushtia, those words became an unbearable farewell.
“I cannot believe it. He spoke to me just last night,” said his mother Swapna Dutta, breaking down in tears. “What will happen to my little Pakhi now?”
His father Dilip Dutta struggled to accept the loss. “How can a father accept the death of his son?”
The tragedy has left Kushtia’s media community devastated.
“Debashish was immensely talented, professional and pure-hearted. Losing a colleague in such a cruel way is utterly heartbreaking,” said Kushtia Journalists Union President Abdur Razzak.
Gifts that never reached home
The fifth Bangladeshi victim was Ahmed Babu, a cosmetics trader from Savar. His family learnt of his death on Wednesday afternoon, turning their anticipation of his return into grief.
Babu, the youngest of four brothers, had travelled to Kolkata on Sunday to buy products and was expected home on Friday. He left behind his 80-year-old mother Sabera Begum, wife Bubbly Akhter, 12-year-old daughter Roza and five-year-old son Soad.
His elder brother Mohammad Ali said the family last spoke to him just hours before the fire.
“The whole family spoke to him around midnight on Tuesday. He was excited and told us about the gifts he had bought for his mother and the children,” Ali said.
Those gifts never arrived.
At their Amin Bazar home, Bubbly has repeatedly fallen unconscious from shock, while little Soad continues moving from room to room, unaware that his father will never return.
A narrow escape
For Bangladeshi couple Sumaiya Akhter and Rezaul Islam, the same night brought a terrifying escape.
Sumaiya was awake at around 1:50 am when frantic pounding on their third-floor door woke Rezaul. When he opened it, they found the corridor filled with thick smoke and screams.
Realising the staircase was impossible to use, Rezaul led his wife through the window onto a narrow ledge outside their room.
High above the street, the couple called for help and used their mobile phone flashlights to attract attention through the smoke.
“We stood on that ledge for nearly half an hour,” Sumaiya recalled.
Passers-by spotted their lights and alerted emergency services. Firefighters later rescued the couple using a ladder.
Smoke hampers rescue efforts
Indian media reported that the fire broke out on the hotel’s third floor shortly before 2 am local time. Although an air conditioner explosion was initially suspected, authorities have not confirmed the cause.
The blaze spread rapidly, filling the building with deadly smoke. Four fire service units and a disaster management team rushed to the scene, but poor visibility and heavy smoke made rescue operations extremely difficult.
The Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata sent officials to the site immediately. Six injured Bangladeshis received emergency treatment and were later discharged.
The mission has opened a 24-hour helpline and is coordinating with Indian authorities to support affected families.
Modi expresses sorrow
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his profound grief over the lives lost in the devastating Kolkata hotel blaze.
In a heartfelt post on X, the Indian prime minister offered his condolences to the bereaved families, writing:
“Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the fire incident in Kolkata. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones in this tragedy. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Local administration is assisting those affected.”
