West Bengal lawmaker injured in house fire as officials examine cause

Bayron Biswas, the legislator representing West Bengal’s Sagardighi constituency, suffered burn injuries after a fire broke out at his home in Samserganj on Saturday. The lawmaker was initially taken to a local nursing home. His family said he could be moved to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital for further treatment, and that a transfer to a hospital in Kolkata might also be considered.

Local sources said Biswas was in a stable condition and had sustained burns covering about 30% of his body. His wife was also injured while attempting to rescue him, according to the report. The fire started at about 11am, according to people in the area.

Three fire tenders attended the scene and brought the blaze under control within an hour, said Bishnupada Roy, officer-in-charge of Dhuliyan Fire Station. “The cause of the fire is not yet clear,” Roy said. Officials had not determined how the blaze began.

Biswas received messages of support from political figures. Ritabrata Banerjee described him as a friend and colleague and wished him a speedy recovery. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also offered his support, saying Biswas was like a brother despite their political differences.

West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar called for an investigation, noting that the incident had occurred against the backdrop of Biswas’s political career. The report said Biswas had won Sagardighi in a 2023 by-election on a Congress ticket before moving to Trinamool.