PM Modi Mourns Kolkata Warehouse Fire Deaths, Offers Ex-gratia
BJP seeks Wow Momo owner's arrest
Kolkata: As the death toll in the devastating fire at Wow Momo warehouse in the southern parts of the city rose to 25 on Friday with 27 more still missing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the tragedy and announced compensations for the victims' families and injured following a visit by West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose.
Mr Modi stated, “The recent fire mishap in Anandapur, West Bengal is very tragic and saddening. My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those injured recover at the earliest. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000.”
Earlier in the day, Mr Bose visited the fire-ravaged warehouse of the popular food chain at Nazirabad in Anandapur. He stated, “There must be no immunity for influential owners, developers, or officials. Strict liability should apply to the enforcement machinery as well...”
Leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari also demanded the arrest of Wow Momo owner Sagar Daryani. He accused him of proximity to chief minister Mamata Banerjee by showing a photo of his presence in her Spain tour.
Meanwhile, the total number of arrests in the case rose to three after manager Raja Chakraborty and deputy manager Manoranjan Sheet of the ill-fated warehouse were booked by the cops and were remanded by the Baruipur Court in police custody till February 4. Simultaneously, 21 body parts were sent for DNA profiling.
