Anandapur inferno: Death toll rises to 19, several still missing; owner of factory held

Agnihotri Gupta, MP, 29 Jan 2026, Kolkata: The death toll in the Anandapur fire incident has risen to 19, while several persons are still reported missing. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, expressing grief over the incident, announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each family of the deceased and assured a civic police job for one member from every affected family.

Even after nearly two days of the blaze, fumes continued to emanate from the two affected godowns. With the death toll climbing, the number of missing persons is estimated to be around 26. The Baruipur Police have issued 15 missing diaries so far. On Wednesday, following court permission, the process of collecting DNA samples from family members was scheduled to aid in the identification of bodies.

On Tuesday evening, the owner of the decorator’s factory, Gangadhar Das, was arrested from his residence in East Midnapore. The fast-food factory involved in the incident was also located on land owned by Das, which he had leased to the company. While in police custody, Das allegedly blamed the fast-food company for the accident.

Based on a complaint lodged by the fire department, a case of death due to negligence has been registered against Das at Narendrapur police station. In addition, the police have suo motu registered a case under the same sections. Acting on the twin cases, Narendrapur police arrested Gangadhar Das. Similar charges have also been filed against the owner of the fast-food company in connection with the incident. However, further details are yet to be ascertained.

Meanwhile, the fast-food company, Wow! Momo, which operates across India, issued an official statement expressing grief over the tragedy. The statement claimed that two of its employees and one NIS-contracted security guard lost their lives in the fire. The company also announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each bereaved family, a lifetime monthly payout to the dependents, and full responsibility for the education of the deceased employees’ children.