5 detained in connection with man's death in R G Kar Hospital lift malfunction

Kolkata: Police have detained five people in connection with the death of a man who allegedly got trapped inside an elevator at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on March 20, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

The action followed a complaint filed by the victim's father, Amal Banerjee on March 20, the officer said.

Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR invoking sections related to culpable homicide, he said, adding that the five were detained on Friday evening.

The identity of the detained persons were not known but the officer said they were involved in maintenance of the elevator in the trauma care building where the tragedy occurred.

According to the victim's family, the deceased Arup Bannerjee, 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.

Findings of the post-mortem examination, shared by Kolkata Police late on Friday night, indicated that the death was caused by "polytrauma", 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, police said.

The official said the homicide section of the Detective Department took 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.

Meanwhile, a state forensic team visited the Trauma Care building and collected samples from the elevator, its collapsible gate, the ground floor, and the elevator shaft wall.

Kolkata Police homicide section also visited the spot and checked the duty roster of non-medical staff of the building and the maintenance staff to find out who was on shift at that time.

They also talked to the employees and officials as part of the investigation.

The forensic team and Kolkata police team did not speak to media.

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.

Hospital Medical Superintendent Saptarshi Chattopadhyay told reporters that a complaint lodged by the victim’s father with the hospital authorities had been forwarded to the Tala police station.

The hospital had earlier come under national spotlight following the rape and murder of a woman doctor on its premises in August 2024, as well as investigations into alleged financial irregularities.

Former principal Sandip Ghosh was later arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with alleged irregularities and remains in jail, officials said.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari termed the death as "murder" and held Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who also heads the Health department, along with Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam and hospital authorities, responsible.

The BJP targeted the ruling Trinamool Congress, alleging systemic corruption and negligence in the state’s healthcare infrastructure.