A 55-year-old man plunged three floors to his death at a nightclub in central Kolkata’s Esplanade area after he opened a collapsible gate in the lobby expecting the lift to be there, but fell into the lift well instead.
The accident happened on Wednesday night when Pradip Shaw, a resident of Shyampukur, in north Kolkata, fell into the lift shaft and landed on the roof of the lift car that was stationed on the ground floor.
He was taken to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Normally, the lobby’s gate — the collapsible gate that leads to the elevator — should not open when the lift is not on the same floor.
Police said they suspect negligence in maintenance could have caused a glitch in the elevator.
Based on a complaint lodged by Shaw’s wife, the police have started a case of causing death due to negligence and common intention against the owner of the nightclub and the manager of the bar.
A senior police officer said footage of a CCTV camera in the lobby of the nightclub showed Shaw, who was carrying his bag and a helmet in one hand, opening a wooden door in the lobby, which leads to the elevator gate.
“After opening the wooden door, he opened the collapsible gate. The wooden door then closed behind him. There was nothing unusual in the footage,” said an officer of Hare Street police station.
However, a few moments later, a loud sound inside the lift shaft alerted people.
The police said liftman Tapas Baidya, who was inside the elevator on the ground floor, was the first to react and rush upstairs.
“He (Baidya) used a ladder from an upper floor to climb down the shaft and rescue Shaw. But it was too late by then,” said the officer.
On inquiry, it was found that Shaw had gone to the nightclub with his employer, who runs a business.
“Under no circumstances, the lobby gate should open when the lift car is not on that floor. This is gross negligence,” said a senior officer at Lalbazar.
Shaw is survived by his wife Chanda and son Ayush.
In 2017, a 76-year-old engineer had met with the same fate in his house in south Kolkata’s Kasba when he fell through a height of four floors after he opened the lobby’s collapsible gate thinking that the lift was there.
The only difference from the Esplanade’s incident was that the family had purposefully not installed the safety mechanism, a family member had told The Telegraph.
PRECAUTION
■ Smart locks should be periodically checked to ensure the collapsible gate in the lobby does not open when the lift car is not on the same floor
■ If there is a defect in the lobby gate, the elevator should immediately be closed for maintenance with proper signage
■ Do not insert your hand through a gap in the collapsible gate even when the lift is stationary
■ Do not try to open the lift car’s gate while in motion
■ Do not open the lobby gate when the lift car is not on the same floor