Kolkata: Police have found glaring lapses in the circumstances leading to the death of 40-year-old Arup Banerjee, who was crushed to death by a lift at RG Kar Hospital early on Friday. The hospital has also constituted an internal fact-finding committee to probe the death of emergency patient Biswajit Samanta (61), who collapsed in front of the public toilet and died early on Monday morning. The Rogi Kalyan Samity has called a meeting on Wednesday where patient services and facilities will be discussed.Probing into the lift death, cops have found that the hospital security did not know the basement key was in the superintendent’s office. A task that required three minutes lasted 33 minutes while the family members kept crying for help.It has also emerged that the attendant was asleep and had to be woken up by others. Even after the keys to the basement where the trio were stuck were found, the stairs to the basement were found locked, requiring rescuers to use a different route, cops said, which delayed the rescue further.Investigators have already recorded statements of the victim’s wife, Sonali Banerjee, and his father, Amal Banerjee. Amal Banerjee told police that cries came from the basement during attempts to reach the family. Locked gates blocked access. Guards, lift operators, and hospital staff told the family that the PWD personnel had the keys.Police have issued notices to the elevator manufacturer and the maintenance company. The authorities will also question CISF personnel.The arrested lift operators stated that protocol prevented them from having the basement keys. One operator used a second lift and found a grille blocking the door. Another operator checked the machine room. Cops are examining why one staff member tried to move the elevator during the crisis.
