The Metro Railway authorities Tuesday reached out to the family of Sajal Kanjilal, who died after being dragged by a train as his hand got stuck between its doors, with its senior officials visiting his residence.
The Metro principal chief operations manager Satyaki Nath, station superintendent of Park Street who was on duty at the time of the accident and some other station staff met the family members of Kanjilal.
"It was a courtesy call on behalf of Kolkata Metro," Metro spokesperson Indrani Banerjee, said.
Banerjee, who was one of the officials who visited Kanjilal's residence at Kasba in south Kolkata, said the visit was to assure the family that the Metro Railway is with the family at its time of distress.
The Metro officials spoke to the cousins and other family members of 66-year old Kanjilal, who was a bachelor. He lived with the family of his cousin Rajkumar Mukherjee, who has lodged an FIR with the Kolkata Police alleging negligence on the part of Metro authorities in the death of Kanjilal.
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A little magazine seller at the city's cultural hub Nandan and adjacent Academy of Fine Arts, Kanjilal also doubled as a model for budding artists.
Banerjee said the Commissioner of Railway Safety, Metro Circle, will commence formal investigation into the tragic accident on Thursday.
"Eyewitnesses may depose before the commission at the Metro Railway headquarter from Thursday," Banerjee said, adding that a notification in this regard will be published in Wednesday's newspapers.
CRS (Metro Circle) G P Garg, entrusted with the investigation, Monday visited Park Street station, where the accident occurred and also held minute checks of the rake involved in Saturday evening's accident.
The CRS (Metro Circle) made the mandatory site visit, which has to be done within 72 hours of an accident, and he will formally begin investigation into the accident on July 18, according to the Metro spokesperson.
The incident took place at the Park Street station on Saturday when Kanjilal was trying to board a Kabi Subhash- bound train.
The train started moving with Kanjilal hanging precariously on the narrow footboard of a coach, with one of his hands stuck between the closed doors.
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. He was rushed to the SSKM Hospital, where the doctors declared him "brought dead".
Questions are being raised over the sensor technology used in the rakes and its alleged failure to detect Kanjilal's hand between the doors, which will also be part of the inquiry by the CRS.
The accident occurred in one of the newly-inducted Medha rakes delivered by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Perumbur.
Five rakes have been delivered by ICF to Kolkata Metro from mid-2017, of which two were inducted in service in April this year.
Both the rakes have been taken off service since Saturday's accident, Banerjee said.
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