‘They listened to music and killed’: 5 held in Kolkata RG Kar hospital lift tragedy; machine turned into murder tool, cops tell court | Kolkata News

Police on Saturday told a local court that the death of 40-year-old Arup Banerjee at RG Kar hospital early on Friday could have been avoided if the lift operators and guards had “not turned a machine meant for public convenience into a tool for murder”

KOLKATA: Police on Saturday told a local court that the death of 40-year-old Arup Banerjee at RG Kar hospital early on Friday could have been avoided if the lift operators and guards had “not turned a machine meant for public convenience into a tool for murder”. Banerjee, who was trapped inside a malfunctioning lift along with his wife and three-year-old son, died of severe trauma injuries as he got stuck between the doors of the erratically moving lift. Liftmen on duty were absent during the incident. Lift operators Milan Kumar Das (49), Biswanath Das (48) and Manas Kumar Guha (55) and security guards Ashraful Rehman (31) and Subhadip Das (25) were arrested on Friday night in connection with the case and produced in court on Saturday.“They stood by and enjoyed themselves. They listened to music and killed people. They turned a machine meant for public convenience into a tool for murder. They were responsible for keeping the lift shut, but they failed to do so,” public prosecutor Arindam Chattopadhyay submitted in court. All five were remanded in police custody till March 27.Lawyers representing the victim’s family, too, highlighted negligence on the part of the accused and claimed there were several others who had also failed to fulfil their responsibilities and should be brought under the probe.On Saturday, a forensic team visited the hospital’s trauma care building to inspect the lift and determine the sequence of events leading to Banerjee’s death. Another forensic team will examine the spot on Monday, joint CP (crime & traffic) Rupesh Kumar said.Officers of the detective department’s homicide section, which has taken over the probe, said the victim’s wife’s statement was crucial for the case. “If required, we will get her statement recorded with a magistrate,” an officer said. Cops have collected CCTV footage from the hospital and are seeking independent video footage, if any, from the spot. “We will record statements of at least 12 persons who were present at the spot and a couple of doctors,” a police source said.A Salt Lake-based company was contracted to install and maintain the lift, cops said. The same firm also manages two other lifts in the same building while the remaining 29 lifts in the hospital are maintained by different companies. “This particular lift is 14 years old and, according to records, did not report any glitch in the recent past. We are reviewing older maintenance records with PWD and have sought necessary documents from both PWD and the firm,” a senior officer said.