Kolkata, March 22 Investigators examining the death of a man who got trapped in an R G Kar Hospital lift are looking into possible safety lapses and human error, even though records show the elevator had undergone a routine inspection recently, a police officer said on Sunday.
The investigators are examining various angles, including whether there were lapses in adhering to safety protocols, any delay in informing the lift maintenance agency, and if anyone had accessed the elevator's machine room at the time of the incident on Friday.
"Even though initial records suggest the lift had passed an inspection earlier this month, we are examining whether there were any lapses in maintenance, monitoring, or response that could have contributed to the accident," the officer said.
Nothing can be ruled out at this stage, he asserted.
According to hospital sources, the lift had undergone a standard health check in early March as part of a 25 to 30-day inspection cycle, and no major defects were reported.
Investigators are scrutinising whether anyone accessed the machine room, a separate control unit used during mechanical failures, around the time of the incident, the police officer said.
"We have indications that the machine room was accessed. We are verifying who entered there and what actions were taken," he added.
In the absence of any camera inside the elevator, police are relying on CCTV footage from outside the lift to determine the root cause of the incident, the officer elaborated.
"Footage showed the man near the trauma care operation theatre around 4:15 am, while his body was brought to a ward at 5:12 am. It has been alleged that the lift maintenance agency was informed only after 6:30 am," he added.
Investigators are further examining whether the lift's power supply was externally cut off, and whether mandatory safety protocols were followed.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday when Arup Bannerjee, who had come to the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital for the treatment of his minor son, entered the lift with his wife and child. The lift reportedly moved upwards before descending on its own to a dark basement.
"After the doors opened, the family attempted to exit but found the outer grill gate locked. While his wife and child managed to escape, Bannerjee got trapped in the lift door, police said.
In her statement to police, the woman alleged that her husband got dragged up as the lift moved again while scraping against a wall. She claimed that no help arrived despite repeated cries, and the gate could not be opened.
The family of the victim has alleged that the elevator he got stuck in was under maintenance, had no operator on duty, and was not properly secured. They also claimed that a quicker rescue operation could have saved him.
A day after the incident, police arrested three lift operators and two security personnel after registering an FIR under the BNS section related to culpable homicide not amounting to murder based on a complaint lodged by the victim's father.
The death has sparked a political blame game in the poll-bound state.
ABVP activists held a protest at the hospital on Sunday, demanding the authority's accountability for the incident.
On Friday, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari termed the death "murder", while the BJP targeted the ruling Trinamool Congress, alleging systemic corruption and negligence in the state's healthcare infrastructure.
The hospital had earlier come under national spotlight following the rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor on its premises in August 2024. A probe into the case had led the investigators to look into the allegation of corruption involving Sandip Ghosh, the then principal of the medical college.
Ghosh was later arrested by the CBI in connection with the alleged irregularities and remains in jail.