Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The tragic death of an elderly man due to negligent lift maintenance has raised serious questions on society management and maintenance agencies.
The incident occurred at a private
residential society under Misrod police station, where the body of 77-year-old Pritam Giri, a resident of D Block, was found in lift duct on Saturday, 11 days after he went missing.
Pritam Giri’s son, Manoj Giri, along with other residents, alleged on Sunday that all lifts across the society’s 11 blocks had been in a dilapidated condition for the past six months. Despite repeated complaints, no repairs were carried out. Basic safety measures were missing, including lighting inside lifts, alarm systems, and emergency buttons. Shockingly, maintenance charges continued to be collected every month, they said.
The society’s CCTV system also failed completely. The family claimed cameras have been defunct for nearly five years, with none working on the third floor where the incident reportedly occurred. They said functioning cameras might have helped detect the tragedy in time.
Misrod police station in-charge Ratanlal Parihar said preliminary investigation point to negligence in lift maintenance. “Strict action will follow the investigation,” he said.
How it happened
On January 6, Pritam Giri left home in the afternoon but did not return, prompting a missing complaint. Police failed to trace him for 11 days. On January 16, his body was recovered from the lift duct after a technician was called when the lift stopped working.
Trapped in lift
On May 27, 2025, in Misrod area, an 8-year-old boy was trapped in a lift at Tower-1 of Royal Farm Villa society due to a sudden electricity disruption. He was rescued once supply was restored. However, his father, Rishi Bhatnagar, died of heart failure due to shock.
