Kolkata Fire Victims' Families Finally Receive Mortal Remains After DNA Identification
After nearly a month of agonizing uncertainty, families of those who perished in the devastating January 26 fire at the Anandapur godown in Kolkata finally received the mortal remains of their loved ones on Saturday. This emotional milestone comes following extensive DNA testing to identify the victims from the tragic incident.
Identification and Handover Process
Of the 18 victims identified so far through meticulous DNA analysis, the mortal remains of 16 were formally handed over to their grieving relatives from the Katapukur morgue. Two families, however, could not receive the remains due to pending documentation issues that authorities are working to resolve.
Family members gathered at Narendrapur Police Station early Saturday morning, where legal and administrative formalities were completed under police supervision. Later in the day, they proceeded to the morgue for the solemn handover ceremony.
An investigating officer provided crucial details about the recovery operation: "From the fire-torn spot, we recovered the body parts of 27 workers. Eighteen of them have been positively identified through DNA matching. The process of identifying the remaining nine victims is ongoing and requires further forensic examination."
Administrative Procedures and Documentation
Police officials clarified that while the mortal remains were handed over to 16 families, the issuance of official death certificates will require additional time—likely several more days. The necessary documents will be collected by Narendrapur police from the Kheyadah II panchayat office and either forwarded to respective police stations or made available for families to collect later.
The comprehensive DNA reports will also be submitted to the appropriate court as part of the legal proceedings. Authorities have not yet confirmed a timeline for when DNA results for the remaining nine unidentified victims will become available, citing the complexity of the forensic process.
Heartbreaking Personal Stories Emerge
The emotional toll was palpable as families confronted their loss. Tamluk resident Niranjan Mondal, who works as a flower decorator in Mukundapur, broke down completely when receiving the mortal remains of his 19-year-old son, Ramkrishna. "I was desperately praying that my DNA sample would mismatch and prove my son was still alive. But that heartbreaking hope was not fulfilled. Today I received his body parts," said Mondal, who had previously worked at the same decorator's godown years ago but left over payment disputes.
Tragically, Mondal's brother, Gobinda Mondal, also went missing after the fire, and his body parts could not be identified through the DNA process.
Subrata Fadikar from Panskura arrived to collect the mortal remains of his brother-in-law, Tapan Dolui. Soumitra Khaara, who came to collect the remains of his brother Subrata, shared that their last conversation occurred on the night of January 25, just before the tragedy.
Maya Das, traveling from East Midnapore for the remains of her brother Sujit Singh, expressed profound sorrow: "I never imagined that my first visit to this city would be for such a devastating reason. The pain is unimaginable."
The handover marks a significant, though painful, step toward closure for families who have endured weeks of uncertainty since the fire ravaged the Anandapur godown, claiming multiple lives and leaving the community in mourning.
