The mother of the doctor, who was raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, alleged on Saturday that the death of a man following an elevator malfunction at the facility showed the authorities were still negligent on safety issues.
Arup Banerjee, who was in his 40s, died on Friday after allegedly getting trapped inside a malfunctioning lift at the hospital. The incident triggered a political row ahead of the assembly elections, with the opposition BJP alleging negligence.
Reacting to the incident, the victim doctor's mother termed the death "outrageous" and questioned the hospital administration's ability to run such a major healthcare institution.
"After this, are the authorities still capable of running such a speciality hospital? I will not call this an accident. There was no liftman. People were trapped inside, but no one came forward to help," she alleged.
Expressing shock, she claimed that the victim's wife and child had cried for help but did not receive any immediate assistance.
Still fighting for justice for her only daughter, she said the incident exposed "continuing negligence" in ensuring the safety of patients, doctors and others within the hospital premises.
The brutal rape and murder of the young doctor on August 9, 2024, triggered nationwide outrage and raised serious concerns over security and administrative oversight at the hospital.
A civic volunteer of the Kolkata Police, who had been deployed at the hospital, was arrested and later convicted in connection with the crime. However, the victim's parents, several doctors' organisations and sections of civil society have maintained that the crime could not have been committed by a single individual.
The CBI had also arrested the then RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the procurement of medicines during his tenure.
Meanwhile, police have registered an FIR in connection with Banerjee's death, invoking sections related to culpable homicide, and arrested five persons.