Debashish Dutta, a prominent journalist from Kushtia, travelled to India seeking medical treatment with hopes of a healthy return.
Instead, a devastating fire at a residential hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata’s New Market area turned a journey of hope into a harrowing tragedy, claiming his life and those of three family members.
The fire, which broke out in the early hours of Wednesday, claimed a total of nine lives, including five Bangladeshis, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Among the deceased were Debashish, his wife Afsana Sharmin, their three-and-a-half-year-old son Shornoshish Dutta, and his father-in-law Akram Ali.
Debashish was a respected figure in the media community, serving as the Acting Editor of the Kushtia-based Dainik Ajker Alo. He also represented the national daily Ajker Patrika and Channel 9 as their Kushtia correspondent.
Beyond his professional achievements, his life was a testament to love; he had married Afsana across religious lines, building a life that has now been abruptly extinguished.
The couple’s eight-year-old daughter, Mahima Dutta Pakhi, who had remained in Kushtia, has been left orphaned by the disaster.
The family had travelled to India on 3 August, visiting both Kolkata and Bengaluru for medical purposes. They had even completed their shopping for loved ones and were awaiting their return to Bangladesh.
Only hours before the tragedy, Debashish had shared a final update on social media after returning to Kolkata from Bengaluru, poignantly writing, “Bye bye Bangalore after 13 long days…”
In Kushtia, the atmosphere is one of profound grief. Debashish’s mother, Swapna Dutta, is inconsolable.
“I cannot believe it. He spoke to me just last night,” she sobbed, fearing for the future of her granddaughter, Pakhi. His father, Dilip Dutta, echoed the heartbreak, asking, “How can a father bear the body of his child?”
Colleagues remembered Debashish as a talented and kind-hearted professional. Abdur Razzak, President of the Kushtia Journalists’ Union, remarked that such a loss is “unacceptable,” describing him as a brilliant and pure-souled individual.
Abu Moni Zubayed Ripon, former general secretary of the Kushtia Press Club, added that losing a long-time colleague in such a manner is “deeply heart-wrenching.”
