KOLKATA: Astrologer Jayanta Shastri — a popular face on Bengali TV channels promoting paid astrological talk shows — suffocated to death at his home on Sunday morning after his two-storey house in Keshtopur caught fire. Shastri was 55. At the time of the fire, his wife was at her parents’ place in Krishnagore and his son was in Mumbai.
According to the police, the fire broke out at a first floor bedroom where Shastri was sleeping. Cops said the fire had possibly started from a burnt cigarette butt and lit the sofa before spreading to the bed while Shastri was asleep. Locals noticed the fire around 6am when flames had started leaping out of the first floor and air conditioner compressor machines had started exploding.
“By the time firemen could enter the house, Shastri’s legs were burnt. He was brought out in an unconscious state wrapped in clothes and was taken to a private hospital where he died,” said an officer of Baguiati police station. Cops, however, said as per preliminary report, the astrologer didn’t die of burn injures and had suffocated to death.
The fire was first noticed by Shastri’s neighbour, Rajib Das, from the building opposite. He alerted other neighbours and called the fire brigade. He, along with others, then started pouring buckets of water from adjacent buildings in an attempt to douse the flames. Two fire tenders reached the spot but the firemen had a tough time to break into the upper floors even after entering the house as each room was locked from inside — possibly since Shastri had a number of precious gems kept in his house. By the time they entered the first floor room, Shastri was already unconscious.
Locals said Shastri’s father had built the house at Samar Sarani in Keshtopur around 25 years ago. Initially, they had a business of plastic goods. “They were original residents of Maniktala. Shastri, who guaranteed accurate future prediction, entered the business of astrology around 20 years ago. There was a time when he himself used to paste posters on lamp posts and walls, seeking clients. But within a few years, he shot to fame and even owned six luxury cars,” said a friend.