A man died after getting stuck inside an elevator for over an hour while returning after his son’s surgery for a fractured leg at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Friday, police said, adding five people have been arrested.
According to preliminary reports, around 3 am, the deceased, identified as Aroop Bandopadhyay, (40), a resident of Dum Dum, stepped into an elevator at the hospital’s Trauma Care Centre to go to the fifth floor. The elevator allegedly malfunctioned, leaving three people trapped inside.
When Bandopadhyay went missing, his family members began searching for him. His body was found inside the elevator, which was stuck at the basement level.
According to hospital sources, no elevator operator was present at the time of the incident. Initial reports suggest a severe lapse in safety protocols and maintenance. Witnesses and victims spoke about how there was no person on duty to manage the elevator or assist in an emergency. The elevator had allegedly malfunctioned a day before, too.
Arpita Bandopadhyay, the deceased’s sister, spoke about the lack of response during the incident. “We came here for my nephew’s treatment. We kept screaming for help, but no one responded. We never imagined a government hospital could be in such a state,” she said.
“During the rescue attempt, staff and bystanders struggled to locate the keys to open the elevator’s doors,” an eyewitness said.
While the deceased’s relatives staged a protest on the hospital premises, a team from Tala police station arrived at the scene.
“Five people, including three lift men and two security personnel have been arrested. They will be produced in the ACJM court on Saturday. A case has also been registered under BNS section 105/3(5) (culpable homicide),” a senior police officer said.
The case will be investigated by the detective department, officials said.
The arrested accused have been identified as Milan Kumar Das, Ashrafal Rahaman, Biswanath Das, Manas Kumar Guha, and Subhadip Das, police added.
According to an official, the post mortem report says death was due to polytrauma (compression of chest wall, rupture of heart, lungs and liver, fracture of legs, hands, ribs).
The incident has sparked a wave of condemnation from local leaders.
Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari termed it “murder” and blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the incident.
“I have documents with me to prove they intentionally killed (the man) using a lift that was being repaired. A case of murder should be immediately registered in the matter,” Adhikari told reporters while campaigning at Mahishadal in Purba Medinipur. He also termed the hospital authorities “direct killers” and the health minister as well as the health secretary “indirect killers”.
The BJP’s West Bengal unit also targeted the Trinamool Congress dispensation over the incident.
“Lakhs and crores are spent by the TMC government on madrassas, but money is not spent on improving the necessary infrastructure in the healthcare system. Furthermore, due to corruption in the healthcare system under Health Minister Mamata Banerjee, such unfortunate incidents at hospitals have been fairly common in the last 15 years,” it said in a post on X.
BJP leader Tapas Chatterjee hit out at the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government. “This is a failure of the government and administration. It is unthinkable that people lose family members to negligence in a place meant for saving lives,” he said.
Local MLA and TMC leader Atin Ghosh condemned the incident and admitted to administrative loopholes. “Those responsible must face consequences,” Ghosh, who is a member of the hospital management committee said. “As part of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti, I note that only one meeting has been held so far. We will be addressing these fatal lapses in our next session,” he added.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal Association of Health Service Doctors (AHSD) expressed condemnation over the incident.
“That a life was lost in such a gruesome and unimaginable manner within a premier state-run facility is not just a lapse—it is a disgrace to the medical fraternity and a stinging indictment of the current administrative priorities.This incident is the tragic culmination of systemic negligence that we have repeatedly brought to the notice of the department of Health and Despite frequent reports of mechanical faults, the lifts in the Trauma Care Building remained death traps. There is a glaring lack of routine technical audits,” it said.
“We demand immediate, non-negotiable action to restore public faith and ensure justice. We demand a transparent probe under the aegis of a sitting Judge of the Departmental enquiries in such cases often result in the shielding of high-ranking officials. The probe must identify administrative lapses starting from the Secretariat and Directorate at Swasthya Bhawan down to the local hospital administration. We demand exemplary punishment for those whose negligence led to this avoidable death.The Lack of Accountability of the O&M Agency must be scrutinized… Their contract should be terminated, and they must face the strictest legal consequences,” the statement added.
(With PTI inputs)