Stuck in Metro & dragged to death

TT, 14 July 2019, Calcutta: A passenger was killed in Calcutta Metro on Saturday evening after his hand got stuck in the flap doors and his body remained outside when the train stated moving.

Witnesses said his body slammed against an object as the train was leaving Park Street Station and moving into the tunnel towards Maidan station.

Eyewitnesses said that the passenger Sajal Kumar Kanjilal, 66, a resident of Bosepukur Road in Kasba had tried to get inside the third compartment of the train and his hands got stuck while the train started moving and dragged him 60 metres into the tunnel.

"He had rushed to get inside the train and his right hand got stuck in the door. His hand was in a fist and we started shouting from inside asking him to let go. But he did not. Once the train went into the tunnel it became dark," said Janardan Ghosh from Harinabi who was in the same compartment.

Eyewitnesses said that passengers also tried to push him out of the train while the train was in the compartment. But he was dragged in the tunnel. "The train stopped barely a minute after it had started and we learnt that he had fallen down," said Ghosh.

CCTV footage showed some passengers started running as they saw Kanjilal being dragged with the train.

Ghosh also said that those who were inside the train tried to call 182 (the emergency number listed inside the train) but barely a minute after the train had started moving it stopped.

Passengers said that power had been snapped after that and since it was an AC rake those inside the train including senior citizens and children complained of suffocation.

"A few rakes had moved into the tunnel after which the train stopped. The air conditioner had switched off and we could not understand what was happening. There was a burning smell and it was only after 20 minutes that there was an announcement," said a passenger who was in the same train.

Other passengers in the train questioned how the train had started moving and did not stop despite the doors not being fully closed and that help line numbers were not reachable. "How could a train move when a hand got stuck while the body was outside," said a passenger in park Street station.

Mayor Firhad Hakim who visited Park Street station said that there would be a thorough investigation. "We will do whatever is required on behalf of the state government. Whether or not there was any negligence police is looking into it," said Hakim.

The driver and guard of the train have been suspended. Metro Rail has initiated an inquiry. "A three-member inquiry committee has been formed. The committee will see the CCTV footage and investigate. But only four compartments had moved into the tunnel and the rest of the coaches were on the platform and evacuation of other passengers was done into the platform," said Indrani Banerjee, the spokesperson for Metro Railway..