CID arrests one in connection with Mangalahat fire incident

Kolkata: State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested the self-proclaimed owner Mangalahat land in connection with the fire that broke out on July 20, in Howrah.

While Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that there was a dispute regarding the land, the accused — Shanti Ranjan Dey — used to claim himself as its owner.

Dey was picked up from his house late Monday night for allegedly setting the market on fire. The businessmen of Mangalahat had alleged that Dey was behind the incident and had also informed the same to the Chief Minister during her visit to Mangalahat on July 21. After taking stock of the situation, Banerjee had ordered a CID probe.

While probing, the investigating officers reportedly came to know that Dey was the caretaker of the land and his contract had expired before the fire incident. It is suspected that after his control over the land was over, Dey might have set the market on fire. After news of Dey’s arrest came to light, a section of businessmen of Mangalahat reportedly started agitating outside the Howrah Court on Tuesday, demanding strong punishment for him.

On July 20 night, a massive fire broke out at Mangalahat. 18 fire tenders were pressed into service in phases to douse the flames that gutted the shops on about 12 bigha of land. However, due to shortage of water during the rescue operation, firefighters faced trouble. With no water sources nearby, they initially used water from a sewerage line. Later, water was extracted from the Howrah Hospital. The blaze was doused around 8 am on July 21.