Kolkata, March 25 (NationPress) A recent investigation into the elevator incident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata has uncovered that the lift in question had experienced a malfunction just a week prior to the tragic event.

As per the Kolkata Police, the elevator located in the Trauma Care unit encountered technical difficulties on March 13, leading engineers to inspect and reportedly fix the issues the same day. Tragically, on March 20, Arup Banerjee, a resident of Nager Bazar in north Kolkata, suffered a fatal accident when he became trapped between the elevator and a wall.

Currently, forensic experts are looking into how the same hospital elevator malfunctioned again within just seven days, even after repairs were supposedly made. The forensic team has already provided preliminary findings to the police.

Kolkata Police detectives have raised concerns about whether the elevator was adequately repaired on March 13. Reports indicate that after Arup Banerjee, along with his wife, Sonali, and their small child, entered Elevator No 2 in the Trauma Care unit on March 20, the elevator suddenly jolted violently. Investigators are working to determine the cause behind this unexpected jolt.

In their quest for further information, detectives have interviewed the PWD personnel responsible for maintaining the elevator.

Moreover, elevator engineers, multiple employees from the maintenance agency, operators of other elevators within the RG Kar complex (beyond just the Trauma Care unit), and various security personnel have also been questioned. Reports suggest that around 30 individuals have been interrogated as part of this ongoing investigation.

Detectives have also engaged with several friends and acquaintances of the deceased, Arup Banerjee, who were present at the scene of the elevator accident. To piece together the timeline of events, detectives are currently reviewing CCTV footage from at least 70 cameras installed across the hospital premises.

According to police officials, forensic experts, in conjunction with lift engineers, have examined the control panel of the RG Kar Hospital elevator as part of the investigation into Arup's accidental death. During their inquiries, the forensic team and detectives discovered that a routine inspection of the lift had been conducted earlier in the month. At that time, engineers had assured the hospital authorities that the lift was functioning properly.

However, just days later, on March 13, the lift began to malfunction again, frequently stalling during ascension or descension, with its sensors also misbehaving. Lift engineers arrived, identified a software issue, and performed temporary repairs on the motherboard before giving it a green light to operate again. However, just a week later, the malfunctions returned.

According to police reports, when Arup and his family entered the elevator and pressed the button to go from the second floor to the fifth, the elevator instead ascended to the seventh floor before descending to the basement. During this chaotic sequence, the doors closed with immense force, causing a severe jolt inside the cabin.

Detectives are questioning how such a malfunction could arise just a week after the elevator was supposedly 'fixed', specifically probing whether a 'green signal' was issued despite incomplete repairs conducted on March 13. The police are currently awaiting a detailed forensic report for further insights into this tragic incident.