A day after 10 newborns were killed in a fire at the neonatal unit of a hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi, the authorities have ordered a three-tier probe into the fire incident and dismissed reports that the facility had expired fire extinguishers.
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A four-member committee will investigate the fire that broke out in the children’s ward of Jhansi’s Maharani Laxmibai Medical College.
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The committee has been tasked with identifying the cause of the fire and determining whether any negligence was involved. It will also provide recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future. A report within seven days has been requested by the government.
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“Instructions have been issued to launch a three-tier probe into the incident. The Jhansi Divisional Commissioner and the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) have been told to probe the matter and the fire department will also look into it. Along with this, instructions have also been given for a magisterial inquiry into the incident,” Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said on X.
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According to Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar, the fire broke out around 10.45 pm on Friday in the neonatal wards of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, one of the largest government hospitals in the state’s Bundelkhand region, possibly due to an electrical short circuit.
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As the rescue operation unfolded, many families kept an anxious vigil, struggling to comprehend the scale of the tragedy that had struck them.
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Amid claims that the medical college had expired fire extinguishers, Mr Pathak asserted all firefighting equipment in the college was completely fine and a fire safety audit was carried out in February and a mock drill in June. The principal of the medical college, Dr Narendra Singh Sengar, also termed the allegations “baseless”.
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Post-mortem of seven infants was carried out on Saturday while the autopsy of three could not be conducted as their parents have not been identified yet, Additional Superintendent of Police (City) of Jhansi Gyanendra Kumar Singh told news agency PTI.
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The incident sparked a political blame game in the state where bypolls to nine Assembly seats will be held on November 20. Opposition parties blamed the BJP government in the state and said the deaths raise serious questions about the negligence of the administration.
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Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said Yogi Adityanath should leave the poll campaign and focus on improving the state’s health and medical facilities. He also demanded that Rs 1 crore should be paid to all bereaved families, adding, “Gorakhpur should not be repeated”.
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President Droupadi Murmu termed the news of the incident “extremely heartbreaking” while Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an assistance of Rs 2 lakh for the families that lost a child. The Uttar Pradesh government has also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families affected.
