The autopsy of the seven Bangladeshis killed in a fire at a residential hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata is scheduled to be held today, Thursday. The relatives and colleagues of the deceased are waiting for the bodies to be repatriated after the completion of the necessary legal and formal procedures in India, including the autopsy.

The deceased include Ajker newspaper’s Kushtia correspondent Debashish Dutta (39), his wife Afsana Sharmin (27), their three-year-old son Swarnashish Dutta and Debashish’s father-in-law Akram Hossain (64). In addition, Ahmed Babu (40) of Savar, Dhaka, Alimuzzaman Saju (45) of Kaliganj, Satkhira and Revati Sarkar were killed.

The bodies of the victims of the fire are currently kept at the Calcutta Medical College morgue. Krishna Nandi, a relative of Debashish and a resident of Malda, India, said around 9:30 am on Thursday that the autopsy process will begin after obtaining the necessary permits.

Krishna Nandi said that the necessary documents have been sent to New Market Police Station in Kolkata to obtain permission for the autopsy. They went to the police station on Wednesday night. The permits are expected to be received after 10 am on Thursday. The autopsy can begin after that.

He also said that after all the formalities related to the handover and transportation of the body to India are completed, the relatives in Bangladesh will be asked to come to the border. Arrangements will be made to hand over the body to them after completing the necessary procedures.

Meanwhile, the relatives are waiting for the body to return to the country at Debashish’s house in Aruapara, Kushtia. Debashish’s father Dilip Dutta said that they are spending their days waiting for the bodies of their son, daughter-in-law and grandson. He is now the only male member of the family.

Debashish’s mother, Swapna Dutta, is in tears over her son’s death. She wants to see him one last time.

Debashish’s seven-year-old daughter, Mahima Dutta, who is still at home, is still unable to comprehend the horror of the entire incident. On Thursday morning, she was playing in front of the house like any other day. She is also not clear why there are so many people at the house.

Debashish’s colleague and Star News’ Kushtia correspondent, Zahurul Islam, said, “We have nothing to do now but wait.”

Relatives and colleagues are now waiting for the bodies to return home. They are waiting to see the bodies of their loved ones for the last time.

Debashish Dutta went to India with his family members on August 3. First, they received treatment in Bengaluru. After about 13 days, they returned to Kolkata on Monday night. They were supposed to return home on Wednesday after shopping for relatives on Tuesday.