Honeymoon turns tragic: woman badly burned in Darjeeling homestay barbecue fire

A newly married woman sustained 60% burns and her husband was injured when a barbecue caught fire at a homestay in Sitong, in the Darjeeling hills, police said on Friday. The incident occurred on Thursday night.

The woman, Nikita Saha, is being treated at a private hospital in Siliguri. Her husband, Samir Das, suffered burns while trying to rescue her and was discharged after initial treatment. No arrests have been made so far.

The couple, residents of Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur district, had married about two months ago after a long relationship and had travelled to Sitong a few days earlier for their honeymoon.

According to police, the family has filed a complaint against the homestay at the Kurseong police station, and an investigation has begun. "We have received a complaint and are investigating the circumstances that led to the fire. The exact cause will be established during the probe," an officer said. CCTV footage has been collected and the jar containing the liquid was seized.

The footage from the homestay showed flames spreading rapidly after something was poured onto the barbecue, causing Nikita to catch fire. It also showed Samir trying to smother the flames on his wife's body using his T-shirt.

Accounts of what was poured differ. Nikita's husband alleged that turpentine oil was used on the barbecue. The homestay owner, Nihal Ayan, reportedly acknowledged negligence by an employee and said kerosene had been poured instead of cooking oil.

The family has also alleged that no safety precautions were taken and that the homestay authorities did not provide adequate assistance after the incident. A vehicle called to take Nikita to hospital allegedly arrived about 40 minutes later. She was first taken to a local hospital and later shifted to a private facility in Siliguri.