KOLKATA: A massive fire that gutted more than 100 shanties in the Ghuni slum area of New Town, near Kolkata’s Eco Park, has triggered a fierce political confrontation in West Bengal, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launching a scathing attack on the Mamata Banerjee–led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government. While no casualties have been reported, the blaze has become the centre of explosive allegations linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
The fire broke out late in the day and rapidly spread across the densely packed slum, where huts made of bamboo, tarpaulin and other highly combustible materials stood shoulder to shoulder. Thick plumes of smoke billowed into the sky, visible from a distance, as panic gripped the area. At least five fire tenders were eventually deployed to douse the flames, and local residents were seen assisting firefighters in containing the inferno. Authorities cordoned off the area as a precautionary measure.
Initial reports suggest the fire may have been triggered by a suspected cylinder blast, though officials have said the exact cause is yet to be conclusively determined.
The incident has taken a sharp political turn after the BJP alleged that the fire was not accidental but part of a “deliberate manipulation” orchestrated by the ruling TMC. BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya, posting on X, claimed that the blaze occurred just days before the Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to begin hearings on notices to be served to alleged illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya settlers.
Days before the Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to begin hearings on notices to be served to illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya settlers, a massive fire has broken out in the Ghuni slum near Eco Park, New Town.
Ever since the SIR process began in West Bengal, visuals of… pic.twitter.com/J9FgALqOxF
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 17, 2025
According to the BJP, ever since the SIR process began in West Bengal, visuals of abandoned and locked huts have repeatedly surfaced from the suburbs of Kolkata, including Ghuni. The party claims it is an “open secret” that a large number of Bangladeshi nationals had been living in the Ghuni slum and that many had allegedly fled towards the border days before the fire, leaving their homes locked.
“Despite the scale and intensity of the blaze, fire tenders were not deployed with urgency,” Amit Malviya alleged, raising questions over the response of the state administration.
The BJP further claimed that after the publication of the draft voter rolls, thousands of names were struck off from the Ghuni area. The party alleges that the fire was used as a pretext to cover up these omissions and facilitate the re-inclusion of names in the electoral rolls.
According to the BJP’s charge, the destruction of shanties would later be cited as the reason for the loss of identity documents such as Aadhaar cards, ration cards and voter ID cards. This, the party claims, would pave the way for fresh documents to be issued, allowing individuals to “falsely establish citizenship credentials.”
“This is not just an administrative failure; it is deliberate manipulation,” Amit Malviya said, adding that “Mamata Banerjee is playing with fire this time, quite literally.”
Several reports from the area have noted that many homes in the slum were locked at the time of the fire, fuelling speculation and political claims that alleged infiltrators had already left India. The BJP has repeatedly accused the TMC government of shielding illegal immigrants for electoral gains, an allegation that has been a recurring flashpoint in Bengal politics.
