NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday alleged that the deadly Anandapur blaze near Kolkata was “not an accident” but the “result of the Trinamool Congress government’s corruption,” sharpening his attack on chief minister Mamata Banerjee ahead of upcoming elections. “The fire in Anandpur is not an accident. 25 people have lost their lives, and 27 are missing. Why did this incident happen? Whose money is invested in this Momo factory? Who are the owners of the Momo factory? With whom have the owners of the Momo factory travelled abroad on flights? And why hasn’t the owner of the Momo factory been arrested yet?” Shah asked during a rally.
“Would Mamata Banerjee’s reaction have been the same if these were infiltrators? Bengali citizens have been killed; what are you doing with vote bank politics in this matter? Mamata Banerjee should be ashamed,” Shah said.Addressing BJP workers in Barrackpore, Shah also accused the ruling party of “vote-bank politics” and claimed the state government gives shelter to “infiltrators,” linking the fire tragedy to what he described as administrative failure.The fire, which tore through a warehouse facility in Anandapur in the early hours of Monday, left at least 27 people dead, with several others reported missing. Large-scale rescue and relief operations were launched, with firefighting teams battling the blaze and police sealing the area. Investigators said 21 samples have been sent for profiling, while missing persons reports continue to be registered, as per news agency ANI. Three people have been arrested so far. A Baruipur court has granted six days’ police custody of outlet manager Raja Chakraborty and deputy manager Manoranjan Sheet in connection with the case.Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident, calling it “very tragic and saddening.” He announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.Wow! Momo, whose warehouse was affected, said in a statement that a fire from a neighbouring facility spread into its premises around 3am on January 26, leading to a complete burn-down of one warehouse unit. The company confirmed the loss of two employees and a contracted security guard, describing the tragedy as a “catastrophe.” It promised Rs 10 lakh compensation per family, lifetime monthly salary support, and education for the children of the deceased, adding it is cooperating with authorities.
