Police on Tuesday recorded the statements of public works department engineers and representatives of the private firm that manufactured Lift 2 at the trauma care building of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Sources said the engineers were questioned on the standard operating procedures for lift maintenance, the chain of command followed when a lift malfunction is reported and their opinions on the accident in which Arup Banerjee, 41, died on Friday.

Arup went to the hospital on Thursday night with his four-year-old son to get the child’s fractured arm treated. Early next morning, he got stuck between the doors of a malfunctioning lift and was crushed as it moved.

The police have arrested three lift operators and two security guards in connection with the case.

Two members of the Banerjee family recorded their statements with the police on Tuesday. A senior officer said they were recording statements from Arup’s relatives, friends, PWD officials and representatives of the OEM (original equipment manufacturer).

The family submitted a petition before the Sealdah court on Tuesday, alleging that
the police had not yet seized all CCTV footage from the hospital.

The court has taken cognisance of the application and will hear it on March 27, when the five accused, currently in police remand, will be produced again.

“We have petitioned the court to bring to their notice that the police have not yet seized the CCTV footage, which could be vital evidence,” said Shubhojyoti Dutta, lawyer for the family.

Police sources had earlier said that CCTV footage showed the family entering a lift at 4.15am from the first floor and being rescued at 5.12am.

“We are analysing footage to track the movements of lift operators and guards during this period, which could
indicate complicity,” one
investigator said.

Footage emerged on Tuesday showing Arup being rescued from the lift in the basement, with his wife walking behind him, barely able to stand. The police said the timestamps of the footage are critical for reconstructing the sequence of events.

Sources said the footage indicates a 45-minute gap between the family entering the lift on the first floor and Arup being rescued in the basement.