Kolkata, March 21 A man died after allegedly being trapped in a lift at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in north Kolkata on Friday, sparking a political storm ahead of the Assembly elections. The opposition BJP has alleged negligence and demanded a murder investigation.
Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari termed the death a "murder" and held Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who also heads the health department, along with Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam and hospital authorities, responsible.
"I have documents with me... they intentionally killed (the man) using a lift that was being repaired. A case of murder should be immediately registered," Adhikari told reporters while campaigning in Purba Medinipur.
According to the victim's family, the man, in his early 40s, got stuck inside the elevator when it suddenly malfunctioned. They alleged that the lift was under maintenance, had no operator on duty, and was not properly secured.
A senior hospital official said the man was rescued with injuries and bleeding from the nose and was taken to the emergency unit, where he later succumbed.
Meanwhile, findings of the post-mortem examination, shared by Kolkata Police late Friday night, indicated that the death was caused by "multiple injuries," including compression of the chest wall, rupture of the heart, lungs, and liver, and multiple fractures of the legs, hands, and ribs.
The injuries were ante-mortem in nature, suggesting they occurred before death, they said.
A police officer said the homicide section of the Detective Department will take over further investigation into the case.
The hospital’s Patient Welfare Committee chairman, Atin Ghosh, who is also the deputy mayor of Kolkata, acknowledged that there may have been lapses leading to the "unfortunate incident" and said action would be taken in accordance with the law.
The BJP also targeted the ruling Trinamool Congress, alleging systemic corruption and negligence in the state's healthcare infrastructure.
In a statement, the party claimed that despite substantial expenditure elsewhere, adequate attention had not been paid to hospital safety and maintenance.
The incident occurred when the victim had brought his four-year-old son for treatment to the hospital. His wife was reportedly at the trauma care unit at the time.
Police said further legal action would follow based on the findings of the ongoing investigation.