Kolkata Police authorities have asked from Metro Railway the relevant details of the supervision system of the station, platform and circumstances that led to the death of passenger Sajal Kumar Kanjilal (66) on Saturday evening.
Kanjilal – trying to board a train from Park Street station – had his hand stuck on the door of a compartment. But the train started moving and entered the tunnel with the passenger hanging from the door. This led to his shocking death – as passengers inside the train tried to stop the train through the emergency phone numbers and pressing the emergency halt button.
Family members of Kanjilal have subsequently lodged a case of death due to negligence against Metro Railway in the Shakespeare Sarani police station. Park Street Metro station is under Shakespeare Sarani police station. Another FIR was lodged with Kasba police station – as Kanjilal lived in the area. A case has been started against Metro under IPC sections 30A (causing death by negligence) and 34 (criminal act done by several persons). Slapping more stringent sections are also possible.
Police, after starting the case, has asked for all relevant details from the Metro authorities including the CCTV footage of the station while Kanjilal tried to board the train and it left the station. Questions are being raised on how the train could leave the station with a passenger hanging out of the door of a compartment as the common perception among passengers is that trains do not leave the platform unless the doors are fully closed. Passengers also have the general feeling that guards posted on both ends of the train give a clearance signal to the driver once they notice no passenger is stuck midway. How and why this system did not work and whether the system in place is flawed needs to be answered, and the probe of both the city police and the Metro Railway authorities are focused primarily on this aspect.
Statements of driver, guards and all those on supervision duty will be recorded. Also, statements of eyewitnesses are being recorded.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Railway Safety, is himself scheduled to hold an inspection in the Metro stations today.
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