Kolkata, May 2 Police on Friday made the third arrest in connection with the devastating fire at a hotel in Madan Mohan Burman Street of Kolkata that claimed 15 lives.
The arrested person was identified as Khurshid Alam, who was renovating the hotel.
An insider of the Kolkata Police said the fire broke out within that portion of the hotel building where renovation and extension work were underway.
He will be presented at a lower court in Kolkata, and the public prosecutor will seek his police custody.
On Thursday morning, the cops arrested hotel owner Akash Chawla and manager Gaurav Kapur. Both were presented at a lower court in Kolkata on Thursday afternoon, which remanded them to police custody till May 8.
Initial findings by the investigation team have revealed that, besides inadequate fire safety management, there were other major lapses in ensuring proper emergency evacuation arrangements and ventilation facilities at the hotel.
The local people alleged that despite several complaints of illegal constructions in the hotel raised in the past, neither the Kolkata Municipal Corporation nor the local police took any action to prevent the untoward incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have announced compensation for the family members of those killed and injured in the devastating fire.
The Chief Minister has already said that strong action will be taken against those responsible for the fire.
State's Fire Minister Sujit Bose admitted that the fire alarm installed at the hotel was not functional, and the fire-extinguishing equipment did not function at the crucial moment.
"The hotel had just one entry and exit point. The emergency exit was blocked by construction material used for expansion and renovation work within the structure. Had the emergency exit been functional, the number of casualties could have been less," said an officer from the State Fire Services Department.
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