KOLKATA: The Taratala warehouse collapse, which claimed 15 lives so far, has triggered an unusual convergence in West Bengal politics, with leaders from the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the TMC, the Left, Congress and sections of the ruling BJP demanding action against former Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim.
What began as a search-and-rescue operation in the rubble of a collapsed warehouse under construction has rapidly evolved into a high-stakes political battle over accountability, with Hakim emerging at the centre of the controversy after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari publicly linked him to the approval process of the structure.
The death toll in the collapse rose to 15 on Friday after rescuers recovered two more bodies from the rubble and two injured persons succumbed during treatment, officials said.
The political heat intensified after Adhikari told the Assembly that the warehouse plan had received final approval during Hakim's tenure as mayor and head of the municipal building department.
Government records, cited by the CM, indicate that the building proposal was cleared at a municipal building committee meeting on November 20 last year, with the minutes noting that the approval would require clearance from either the mayor or the mayor-in-council member in charge of the building department.
Hakim, who held both positions at the time, signed the approval note.
The former mayor has rejected allegations of wrongdoing.
"As far as I know, the warehouse was not illegal. There may have been a failure of supervision. A mayor or commissioner cannot physically monitor every construction site. I am not a technical expert. My signature on such files is part of an administrative process," he told reporters. His explanation, however, has done little to calm the political storm.
Leaders loyal to Mamata Banerjee have sharpened their attack, questioning why Hakim has not been subjected to the same scrutiny faced by other opposition leaders.
TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh demanded custodial interrogation of the former mayor, while party MP Mahua Moitra asked why Hakim remained free if others accused in separate cases had spent weeks behind bars.
"The chief minister himself has referred to official records and signatures. The investigation should proceed without fear or favour," a senior leader from the Mamata camp told PTI.
The issue has also handed fresh ammunition to the Left and Congress, both of which have accused the BJP government of selective action.
CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty alleged that repeated construction-related disasters in Kolkata had exposed a nexus between politicians and builders and asked whether political considerations were preventing action against those responsible. Interestingly, the pressure is also coming from within sections of the BJP.
Minister Agnimitra Paul said those linked to the approval process could not escape scrutiny.
"If officials are being questioned, then those who occupied ministerial and decision-making positions at the time must also face investigation. No one should be spared," she said.
The controversy has simultaneously opened a new front in the ongoing battle between the Mamata Banerjee camp and the rebel Trinamool Congress faction led by Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee.
Hakim, an MLA from Kolkata port constituency, is aligned with Ritabrata Banerjee's camp.
Leaders close to the former chief minister have alleged that any reluctance to proceed against Hakim could strengthen perceptions of a tacit understanding between sections of the BJP and influential figures in the rebel camp.
They point to the chief minister's Assembly speech, in which he first referred to Hakim's role before shifting attention to Hakim's then Officer on Special Duty Kalicharan Bandyopadhyay, who was allegedly linked to individuals close to the former TMC leadership. The rebel camp dismissed such claims as an attempt to politicise a tragedy.
A senior leader aligned with Ritabrata Banerjee said the focus should remain on fixing responsibility for the collapse rather than settling factional scores.
"Fifteen people have lost their lives. This is not the time for political conspiracy theories. If there has been wrongdoing, the law must take its course irrespective of whether the individual belongs to the BJP, the old TMC leadership or the rebel camp," he told PTI.
Another rebel MLA argued that the tragedy exposed systemic failures that extended beyond one individual.
"The attempt to reduce everything to one signature ignores how building approvals, inspections and compliance mechanisms actually function. The investigation should identify everyone responsible," he said.
Yet the political implications extend beyond the immediate probe. Hakim remains one of the most recognisable Muslim faces of the old TMC establishment and a key figure in Kolkata politics.
Any action against him could send ripples through the already fractured opposition landscape, where several former TMC legislators and leaders have crossed over to the Ritabrata camp after the party's electoral collapse.
Political observers say the case has become a test not only of administrative accountability but also of the BJP government's willingness to act against a leader publicly named by the chief minister himself.
For the Mamata camp, the issue offers an opportunity to question the credibility of the rebel faction and revive allegations of political accommodation.
For the rebels, it is a chance to project themselves as advocates of due process rather than factional vendetta.
The rescue operation at Taratala may soon end; the political excavation has only just begun.
