A fire broke out at the students’ hostel of Kolkata’s Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital on Sunday night after medical students reportedly burst fireworks within the hostel compound. Security personnel used fire extinguishers available at the hostel to bring the blaze under control, according to hospital sources cited by Anandabazar.
The fire was reported at around 9 pm at the boys’ hostel. The hospital’s medical superintendent and vice-president, Manabendra Sarkar, confirmed that the blaze had been caused by fireworks and said the situation was under control. He did not respond to questions about how fireworks were allowed inside the hostel premises, the report said.
The incident has raised concerns because the hostel is located within a functioning hospital campus, where restrictions are imposed on noise and activities that could affect patients. The hospital’s chest disease department is situated close to the location where the fire occurred, according to the report.
The fireworks were reportedly being burst by medical students living in the hostel. The available fire extinguishers and the intervention of security guards prevented the fire from spreading, although the supplied report does not provide details of the extent of property damage or whether anyone was injured.
The incident also occurred against the backdrop of restrictions imposed on fireworks in West Bengal during Kali Puja and Diwali. Fireworks were permitted between 8 pm and 10 pm, while the use of only those approved by the pollution control authorities was allowed. Hospital premises and other designated silence zones were excluded from the areas where fireworks could be used.
The restrictions were intended to control noise and pollution around sensitive locations. Hospitals also limit noise because of its potential impact on patients and medical operations. The report noted that loud fireworks continued to be used in several places even after the permitted time had ended on Sunday night.
The fire at the NRS Hospital hostel therefore places attention on two separate enforcement questions: whether fireworks were permitted or tolerated within a hospital compound, and whether monitoring continued effectively after the authorised time window. The report did not state whether the hospital administration had ordered an internal inquiry or whether any disciplinary action had been initiated.
The immediate response at the hostel came from security personnel, who used the available extinguishers to control the fire. The hospital administration’s next steps, including any review of how fireworks entered the boys’ hostel and whether campus safety protocols were followed, remain to be established.
