Case Filed Over Fire That Killed 24 At Shahin Chaklader's Hotel

A case has been filed against 200 unidentified individuals in connection with the arson, looting, and vandalism at The Zabeer Hotel, owned by Shahin Chaklader, general secretary of the Awami League’s Jessore unit, which resulted in the death of 24 people.

Touhid Chaklader Fontu, Shahin’s cousin and former Chairman of Jessore Sadar upazila, filed the case on Monday night, 15 days after the incident.

According to the case statement, Shahin, a former member of parliament, owns The Zabeer, an upscale hotel on MM Ali Road in Jessore town. At around 3pm on August 5, unknown assailants entered the hotel armed with gunpowder and petrol.

The attackers first engaged in looting, reportedly stealing Tk90 lakh from the hotel’s cash vault. They also took 100 refrigerators, 100 smart TVs, two 450-kilovolt generators, various stored goods, furniture, a 1000-kilovolt transformer along with the substation and other valuable assets.

Subsequently, the assailants set fire to the hotel, burning it from the first to the 15th floor. 

Among the 24 victims who died in the fire were hotel staff and guests, including a citizen of Indonesia, the case dossier says. 

The fire also destroyed valuable documents belonging to various companies, furniture, stored goods, electrical equipment, three elevators, window grills, glass doors and other decorations. 

Additionally, the main building suffered extensive damage, the extent of which is not yet fully determined.

The incident was witnessed by many locals, but due to the unstable law and order situation at the time, it was not possible to lodge a case immediately, leading to the delay in its filing, the plaintiff mentions.

Abdur Razzak, officer-in-charge of Jessore’s Kotwali police station, confirmed that the case had been registered, and a legal investigation would follow.