A fire broke out around 4.30 am on the ground floor of a four-storey hotel in Tarapith, Birbhum, killing nine people, including five members of a family from Meghalaya. The fire spread to the second floor, while smoke reached upper floors. Of 43 guests, 34 were discharged after medical checks; one person later died in hospital. Injured guests were taken to Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital.

Police detained two people, including hotel owner Kalyan Pal, as they investigate possible safety lapses. Guests alleged the rear exit was closed; the fire department said the hotel’s firefighting system had no defect. The cause remains under investigation, though hotel officials initially cited a short circuit.

Birbhum district administration ordered a special audit of electrical installations and fire-safety arrangements in Tarapith hotels, lodges and other establishments ahead of the Kaushiki Amavasya festival. Accommodation providers must ensure safe electrical installations and adequate fire-prevention and firefighting arrangements.

Eight devotees were killed and four injured in a fire at Bideshini Lodge in Tarapith, Birbhum district. The lodge owner was arrested.

Seven people died and several were injured in a Tarapith hotel fire allegedly caused by a short circuit, officials said. Police and fire crews rescued 22 people using ladders; 11 others were taken to hospital. Birbhum Superintendent of Police Vidit Raj Bhundesh said smoke and flames were not visible outside. Hotel operators were taken into custody after an FIR was registered, and a Forensic Science Laboratory team was due to arrive.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury called the fire a consequence of unplanned construction, alleging rampant hotel building, encroachment, inadequate open space and ignored building regulations. He sought a high-level probe into development permits and how land was encroached upon. BJP MLA Dhruba Saha criticised the authorities and called for an overhaul of the Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA).