Siliguri, Sept. 18 -- A honeymoon trip to Sittong in the Darjeeling district turned into a nightmare for a newlywed woman after she suffered severe burn injuries while a barbecue was being readied at a homestay. The woman, identified as Nikita Saha, is currently undergoing treatment in the ICU of a private hospital in Siliguri.

The incident reportedly took place on September 13 when Nikita and her husband, Souvik Das, residents of Chopra Bazar in North Dinajpur district, visited the Sittong Aura Homestay for their honeymoon.

According to the family, the couple had requested the homestay authorities to arrange for a barbecue in the evening. While the barbecue was being prepared in front of them, flames suddenly erupted and spread across Nikita's body, leaving her critically burnt. She was subsequently brought to Siliguri for treatment.

Souvik alleged that there was negligence in the arrangement of the barbecue. According to him, a trained barbecue chef was initially present, but later a homestay employee took over. He alleged that an excessive amount of fuel was poured into the barbecue at once, resulting in a sudden flare-up.

He further alleged that the homestay authorities failed to provide adequate assistance after the incident and delayed arranging a vehicle to take Nikita to the hospital. He also claimed that the homestay did not have adequate firefighting arrangements.

"Nikita has suffered around 60 per cent burn injuries. My hand was also burnt while trying to save her. Even after the incident, the homestay staff did not accompany us to the hospital and there was also a delay in arranging a vehicle. We demand strict action over this negligence," Souvik said.

Nikita's family has lodged a complaint against the homestay at Kurseong Police Station. Sibinius Toppp, Officer-in-Charge of Siliguri Fire Station, said that he had learnt that the homestay allegedly did not have adequate firefighting arrangements.

"As I have heard, there was no firefighting arrangement at the homestay. However, as per the rules, such arrangements should be in place. We will inspect homestays from our side," he said.

Meanwhile, Samrat Sanyal, Chairman of the Tourism Panel of the Confederation of Indian Industry's North Bengal Zonal Council, stressed the need for greater monitoring of homestays in the hills.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.