Kushtia Journalist Debashish and Family Among Four Killed in Kolkata Hotel Fire

Kushtia journalist Debashish Dutta never made it back home after traveling to India for medical treatment. He, his wife Afsana Shimmin, their two-year-old son Sharnashish Dutta, and his father-in-law were killed in a devastating fire at a residential hotel in Kolkata. A total of nine people died in the incident.

The fire broke out early Wednesday (August 19) at a residential hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in the New Market area of Kolkata.

Debashish Dutta was the acting editor of the Kushtia-based daily Ajker Alo. He also served as the Kushtia district correspondent for Ajker Patrika and Channel Nine, and as joint general secretary of the Kushtia Press Club.

According to family sources, Debashish traveled to India with his wife and young son on August 3 for medical treatment. They visited both Kolkata and Bengaluru for treatment. On Tuesday night (August 18), they returned to Kolkata from Bengaluru by air and were scheduled to return to Bangladesh on Wednesday.

However, they lost their lives in the fire before they could return home. News of Debashish’s death has cast a deep shadow of grief over the journalist community and his relatives in Kushtia.