Kolkata metro death: FIR lodged against Metro Railway

An FIR was registered on Sunday against the Metro Railway after a complaint alleging negligence on its part was lodged by the family of a man who died after he was dragged by a train as his hand got stuck between two of its doors, police said.

The incident took place at the Park Street station on Saturday when the man, Sajal Kanjilal, a resident of Kasba area of Kolkata, was trying to board a Kabi Subhash-bound train.

According to eyewitnesses, Kanjilal fell on the tracks as the train entered the tunnel. The train came to a halt, with four of its eight coaches still at the platform, after staff and passengers outside raised an alarm.

The man was rushed to the SSKM Hospital, where the doctors declared him "brought dead".

Rajkumar Mukherjee, Kanjilal's cousin, said he has filed a complaint at Park Street police station accusing the metro authorities of criminal negligence.

"We will take up the matter with the highest metro authorities, no matter what," he said.

"An FIR was lodged against Metro Railway today on the basis of a complaint filed by Sajal Kanjilal's family, alleging criminal negligence," a police official said.

The Metro Railway authority has ordered an inquiry into the incident by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), an official said.

He said the mishap took place in one of the newly inducted rakes, manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory. The rakes, delivered more than 20 months ago, were put into service only a few months ago.

The CRS will conduct an inquiry to ascertain the cause of the incident and submit a report at the earliest, he added.

"Questions are being raised over the sensor technology used in the rakes and its alleged failure to detect Kanjilal's hand between the doors, but a clear picture in the matter will be available only after the investigation," the official said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday ordered a police inquiry into the incident, which she described as "very unfortunate".

She asked state Urban Development Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim to assure Kanjilal's family of full cooperation from the government.

Theatre artists Sunday took out a protest march near the Park Street station, alleging that laxity on part of the Metro Railway led to Kanjilal's death. They also sought a response on the allegations from the authorities.

Kanjilal, who was unmarried, sold magazines at the Academy of Fine Arts and Nandan complex, a hub of cultural activities in the city, for a living.