After the death of 66- year-old Sajal Kanjilal in the Metro at Park Street Station yesterday, Kolkata Police are said to have initiated a thorough investigation on the basis of the FIR lodged by the relatives of the deceased, while the mishap has attracted prompt action from the commissioner of railway safety, Metro circle, who will visit the spot of the accident tomorrow.
An FIR was lodged by the family members of the deceased at Shakespeare Sarani police station last night which was later transferred to Kasba police station today. Investigators are reported to be thoroughly scanning the CCTV footage today while preparing to interrogate some of the Metro officials. A detailed investigation about the staff present at the station at the time of accident and the work being done by them, will also to be done, sources in Kolkata Police informed.
On the other hand, the shocking death of the man, which is the first of its kind in the history of Kolkata Metro Railway’s 35-year journey, has also prompted a thorough enquiry by the commissioner of railway safety who is expected to visit the accident site tomorrow. A team from the Integral Coach Factory, the manufacturers of the rake involved is also coming to the city today.
“The commissioner of CRS will visit the Metro tomorrow and will start the enquiry by next week,” said a metro railway official. “Unless the enquiry is done, the evidence, including the rake, cannot be allowed to be touched by anyone. The rake in which the accident has happened is the prime piece of evidence in this case. So even if the manufacturers’ team come, they will not be allowed to check it unless the enquiry is done,” he added.
Even as the death of the Kasba resident led to multiple investigations by railway and police officials, it also triggered heated reactions in the political arena. Different political parties and their representatives including Mala Roy and Jawed Khan flocked to the deceased’s house. While the state government has announced compensation to the family of the victim, the alleged passive response of the Metro authorities on the issue raised several questions.
The question of how the door remained closed despite the man’s hand being stuck continued to haunt the family members and other citizens of the city. A Metro railway official, meanwhile, ruled out the question of glitches in the ICF rake that witnessed one of the most horrific incidents on the city’s lifeline. “Who said that there was a defect in the rake?” asked the official. “According to our CCTV footage it is seen that the man tried to put his hand inside the door after it was closed. Hence, whether there was a defect in the rake or it was the fault of our staff can only be ascertained after the CRS enquiry,” he added.
On the question of the door remaining closed even after his hand got stuck, the official said, “It could be possible, if anyone puts his toe on the footboard and holds the rubber pad.” On the allegations of late response of the motorman, the official said, “We will check the security control room. However, the motorman at the rear side responded even before the commuters alerted them and rang the emergency bell to alert the motorman in front and thereafter the emergency brake was applied by them.”
However, the questions of how the system did not detect this fault that have been raised by several commuters of the Metro and about the late announcement by the Metro authorities regarding the evacuation of the rake, remained unanswered.