The West Bengal Police have established a special investigation team (SIT) to look into the tragic fire at the Wow Momo factory-cum-warehouse in Anandapur, Kolkata, where the death toll has reached 25, with several individuals still unaccounted for. This decision follows criticisms and accusations leveled against the state police administration by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a public rally in Barrackpore. Shah alleged that the police were protecting the owner of Wow Momo due to their close ties with the ruling party leadership in the state.
The SIT, led by Superintendent Shubhendra Kumar of Baruipur Police District, will oversee the investigation into the incident. Alongside Kumar, two additional superintendents from the same district, the inspector-in-charge of Narendrapur Police Station, and the current investigating officer will form part of the special team. The state police have already taken three individuals into custody for questioning, with plans for the SIT to expedite the investigation process and file charges promptly.
Among the arrested individuals are Monoranjan Sit, the factory-cum-warehouse manager, and Raja Chakraborty, the deputy manager of the outlet. The third detainee is Gangadhar Das, the owner of Pushpanjali Decorators’ warehouse, located adjacent to the Wow Momo factory. While initial reports from the state fire services department and forensic team indicated that the fire did not originate from Wow Momo but from the neighboring Pushpanjali decorator’s warehouse, Das has refuted these claims, asserting that the fire started at the Momo factory.
