Man trapped in elevator at RG Kar hospital dies; family protests claiming negligence
Kolkata, March 20 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) In a shocking case, a man died after being trapped in an elevator in the controversial state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Friday.
The relatives and friends of the deceased person were protesting within the R.G. Kar premises at the time the report was filed. The deceased person had been identified as Arup Bandopadhyay, a resident of Dum Dum in the northern outskirts of Kolkata.
It is learnt that he was trapped in the elevator of the hospital building housing the trauma care centre, and he died in the elevator. “His son is admitted to the trauma care centre of the same hospital. This morning, he was trying to reach the trauma care centre, which is housed on the fifth floor of one of the hospital buildings, and then he got trapped in the elevator,” said one of the aggrieved relatives of the deceased person.
The relatives and friends of the deceased person alleged that there was no elevator operator while the mishap took place. “The deceased person was trapped in the elevator, which got stuck in the midway, for over an hour, and during that period, no hospital staff or elevator operator was available to reactivate the elevator,” the aggrieved relative added.
The hospital authorities have claimed that the complaints in the matter will be addressed, and a thorough investigation into the matter will be carried out.
At the time the report was filed, the hospital authorities had not come forward with any explanation on the possible reasons behind the death. Already, a huge police contingent from the local Tala Police station had arrived at the hospital premises, and the police are trying to persuade the aggrieved relatives and friends of the deceased persons to withdraw from the hospital premises.
To recall, R.G. Kar has been in the national headlines over the ghastly rape and murder of a woman doctor of the hospital within the premises on the morning of August 2024.
Later, an investigation also started over the massive financial irregularities at the hospital, and there is a large-scale perception that the tragedy with the victim was because she became aware of those financial irregularities.
The erstwhile controversial principal of R.G. Kar, accused of being the mastermind of the financial irregularities, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and is still behind bars.
