Following the catastrophic fire at 'Tuptup Restaurant and Resort' in Inani, Ukhiya, which claimed the lives of ten tourists and severely injured six others on Saturday (October 17, 2026), serious questions have surfaced regarding administrative oversight, lack of fire safety protocols, and unauthorized business operations along the Marine Drive corridor.
Official records confirm that the wooden resort, constructed only seven to eight months ago, operated without a mandatory fire safety license from the Fire Service and Civil Defense or an environmental clearance certificate from the Department of Environment. Syed Muhammad Murshed Hossain, Deputy Assistant Director of Cox's Bazar Fire Service, disclosed that the facility had been identified as highly fire-hazardous during an inspection in June and was served a formal warning notice on June 11. Despite this prior warning, the resort continued commercial operations without implementing basic safety infrastructure—such as portable fire extinguishers, fire alarms, hose pipes, or emergency exits—ultimately leading to the tragic loss of lives, including six members of a single family.
Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md. A. Mannan announced the formation of a five-member investigation committee, headed by the Additional District Magistrate, to probe the origin of the fire—suspected to have started from the kitchen stove—and evaluate administrative lapses. While resort manager Mohammad Suman has been arrested, legal experts and civil society leaders emphasize that the investigation must extend to the absconding resort owners, local administrative regulators, and land title stakeholders to establish criminal liability under Section 304A of the Penal Code for death by negligence.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Special Correspondent (Cox's Bazar) • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
