Escalator mishap

A senior police officer told The Indian Express 8220;The airport authorities are not letting us carry out independent investigations. They are not providing us with the relevant documents. As we have registered a case of death caused due to negligence under Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code, it is our duty to investigate the case. But the airport authorities argue that as the accident happened at the airport, it gives them the right to investigate. Under such circumstances, one is led to suspect tampering of evidence.8221;

When contacted, IGI Airport Director H S Bains, said: 8220;We are not disputing the policemen8217;s right to investigate. All that happened was that they wanted to dismantle the escalator. We told them that Otis engineers would do the task at hand. What they don8217;t realise is that they are not the only ones investigating the case. We are also conducting an inquiry. But for this apart, we have assured them maximum cooperation.8221;

Senior police officers at the IGI Airport, however, alleged that the airport authorities are sitting over investigations. 8220;We need to interrogate a number of people working at the airport before we are able to identify those we can blame,8221; said a top Delhi Police officer. 8220;But they refuse to come up with a list of names.8221;

To this, Bains said: 8220;The names will be known in due time. We are not trying to hide anything. Everything is out in the open.8221;

Meanwhile, preliminary investigations reveal that the AAI authorities had not updated the level of technology. The escalator had been in use for 13 years.

8220;The AAI had put up the escalator in 1986. Had the airport authorities taken care to introduce the latest versions, the escalator would have automatically stopped when the strap of the bag got entangled in the teeth of the plate,8221; pointed out an investigating officer.