Woman suffers 60 percent burns at West Bengal homestay after flammable liquid is poured onto grill; husband also injured while trying to save her as police investigate.
A newly married woman’s honeymoon in the hills of Darjeeling turned into a medical emergency after she was engulfed in flames during a barbecue at a local homestay, leaving her with severe burns covering about 60 percent of her body.
The incident took place on the evening of September 13 at a homestay in Sittong, in the Kurseong subdivision of Darjeeling district, West Bengal. Nikita Saha (also referred to in reports as Nikita Das), from Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur district, was on holiday with her husband Souvik Das (also named as Sameer or Samir Das in some accounts). The couple, who married roughly one to two months earlier, had arrived that morning after booking the stay online.
Tourist Critically Burned in Homestay Barbecue Fire:
According to the husband, the pair requested a barbecue facility and staff arranged one around 8:30pm. A homestay employee was cooking corn when he poured a flammable liquid-described variously by different parties as thinner, kerosene or turpentine-onto the fire. The liquid caused a sudden flare-up. CCTV footage that later circulated widely on social media shows flames surging toward Nikita, who was sitting nearby. She is seen being engulfed before falling to the ground as her husband rushes to her aid.
Souvik Das suffered burns to his hand while trying to extinguish the fire, at one point using his own T-shirt. Other people present also attempted to help. Nikita was eventually taken for treatment, first to a local facility and later transferred to a private hospital in Siliguri, where her condition has been described as critical.
Speaking to local media in Siliguri, Souvik Das said: “A homestay employee was cooking corn on the barbecue. He threw some fluid on the fire; the same fluid fell on my wife. Immediately, she was engulfed in fire.” He alleged that the homestay lacked facilities for immediate first aid and that the couple had to wait a long time for transport to reach hospital. “My wife sustained 60 percent burns… I want justice,” he added.
Police Probe Homestay Fire Incident in Kurseong:
The family has lodged a complaint at Kurseong police station, alleging negligence and delayed medical assistance. Homestay management has offered differing explanations. One account attributed the use of a small quantity of thinner to the difficulty of obtaining kerosene in the area; another report quoted the owner acknowledging that an employee poured kerosene instead of cooking oil. Police have described the event as an accident and said an investigation is under way to establish the exact sequence of events. No arrests have been reported so far.
The case has drawn attention to safety standards at smaller tourist accommodations in popular hill destinations such as Darjeeling and nearby areas, where informal barbecues and open fires are common features of homestay experiences. Authorities continue to examine the circumstances, while Nikita remains under medical care in Siliguri as her family seeks answers and accountability.