Calcutta HC accepts PIL demanding CBI probe into RG Kar lift accident, hearing on Friday

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Calcutta High Court on Monday following the tragic death of Arup Banerjee, a Dum Dum resident, at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. The petitioner, social activist Vijay Kumar Singhal, moved the division bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Pal and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, seeking an immediate transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The court has allowed the filing of the case, with the hearing scheduled for March 27.

The incident occurred last Friday when 41-year-old Arup Banerjee visited the hospital for his three-year-old son's treatment. While attempting to use the elevator in the Trauma Care building to reach a washroom, the lift malfunctioned and became stuck between floors. Allegations suggest that despite desperate pleas for help, no lift operator or security personnel intervened in time. Arup tragically died after being crushed between the elevator door and the shaft wall, while his wife and child narrowly escaped with injuries.

The petition highlights a severe lapse in safety protocols and maintenance within state-run health facilities. It argues that the hospital authorities failed to ensure the presence of trained operators, leading to a "preventable" death. The petitioner claims that the local police investigation may not be sufficient to uncover systemic negligence, hence the demand for a central agency to take over the probe.