OUTCRY IN KOLKATA — DID A POPULAR BRAND MINIMISE HUMAN LOSS?

Kolkata, January 31, 2026: What began as one of the city’s worst warehouse fires has rapidly turned into a corporate credibility crisis for Wow! Momo, with families, political leaders and fire-safety experts accusing the brand of downplaying the true human cost of the disaster.

A massive blaze broke out on the early morning of January 26 in the Anandapur area on Kolkata’s southern fringe, gutting two warehouses — one belonging to Pushpanjali Decorators, the other occupied by the popular momo chain. Authorities have so far recovered at least 25 bodies and say dozens remain missing as DNA and identification operations continue.

In its first public statement on the tragedy, Wow! Momo chose to highlight that “three lives” connected to its operations were lost — two employees and one contracted security guard.

That narrow focus has infuriated many — not because only three people died in the Wow! Momo shed, but because the overall death toll from the entire fire is far higher and continues to rise. Many of the victims were workers staying overnight in the warehouse premises when the fire erupted; their families report missing loved ones whose names do not appear in the company’s limited statement.

Local activists and relatives of missing workers have openly accused the firm of misleading the public and protecting its brand image:

“How can a company only speak about three deaths when more people have perished and others are still unaccounted for?” asked one family member, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The contrast between the company’s limited acknowledgement and the official and media reports of a much larger tragedy has sparked widespread outrage across the city.

Adding fuel to the controversy, police have arrested two senior Wow! Momo officials, including the warehouse manager and his deputy, on allegations of negligence and safety violations related to the fire.

Opposition politicians have also seized on the discrepancy in reporting, accusing both the company and authorities of downplaying the scale of human loss for the sake of optics. Protests have been staged demanding a transparent account of what went wrong, who is responsible, and why workers were present at the site without adequate safeguards.

For a brand that built its reputation on widespread popularity and trust, the coming days may define whether it confronts this tragedy with full accountability — or will be forever remembered for what it didn’t admit.