Kolkata, 19 February (H.S.): Twenty-four days after the devastating fire in Anandapur, none of the victims have been officially identified, leaving several families still waiting for the mortal remains of their loved ones. Even as the West Bengal government has distributed financial compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to 27 affected families, the absence of official confirmation of death has created confusion and distress among relatives regarding last rites.

The state government had announced financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh for the families of those who died in the blaze. One of the gutted warehouses belonged to Wow! Momo, which had separately promised compensation for the families of its three employees who were among the victims. Recently, cheques of Rs 10 lakh each were handed over to the affected families, in some cases by district officials and in others through local representatives. However, questions have arisen over the disbursal of compensation before official confirmation of deaths.

Police are still awaiting DNA test results to identify the recovered remains. Officials remain in contact with the forensic department, and sources said such tests take additional time, particularly because the remains were severely charred. Authorities maintain that identification is not possible without DNA analysis.

So far, three persons have been arrested in connection with the incident. Apart from the warehouse owner Gangadhar, police arrested manager Manoranjan Shit and deputy manager Raja Chakraborty of the Wow! Momo warehouse. All three are currently in judicial custody. Only two individuals managed to escape the fire and survive, and police have recorded their statements. The owner of the company’s office and other employees have also been questioned.

There is still no clarity on when the DNA reports will be available. Meanwhile, families such as that of Niranjan Mandal from Midnapore continue to wait with compensation cheques in hand, while the family of Ravish Hansda from Jhargram is observing mourning rituals in uncertainty. In some households, cooking has been suspended and food is being supplied by relatives as they await official confirmation of their loved ones’ deaths.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh