Hospital Lift Death: Police Probe Safety Lapses; Records Show Elevator Cleared Routine Check

PTI, March 22, 2026, Kolkata: Investigators probing a man's death after he got trapped in an R G Kar Hospital lift are looking into possible safety lapses and human error, even as records show the elevator had cleared a routine inspection recently, a police officer said on Sunday.

The sleuths are examining multiple angles, including whether there were lapses in adherence 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 Friday incident.

"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 get to 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.

Sleuths 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.

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.