KOLKATA: An elderly man died of a heart attack after allegedly being stranded inside a lift for about an hour at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, one of Kolkata’s premier state-run hospitals, early on Friday.
The incident triggered protests by patients and their relatives, who alleged negligence in the maintenance of lifts at the busy hospital that caters to thousands daily.
According to hospital sources, the victim, Arup Bandyopadhyay, a resident of the Dum Dum area, had brought his son to the trauma care unit after the boy suffered a leg fracture. He was accompanied by his wife.
Sources said the family got trapped inside a lift in the trauma care unit for nearly an hour. The elevator reportedly shook violently, while no lift operator was present.
Panic gripped the family, and Bandyopadhyay, an employee of a private firm, allegedly suffered a fatal heart attack inside the lift. His body remained inside for some time before help arrived.
Officials said the closed elevator may have led to suffocation. Meanwhile, his son was taken for surgery.
Police later reached the spot and recovered the body. The incident sparked outrage, with patients and attendants gathering near the trauma care unit and staging protests over what they termed serious lapses in hospital infrastructure and safety.
The hospital principal, Dr Manas Mukherjee, was unavailable for comment.