The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday launched a three-tier investigation into the fire incident at the ward of the children at a medical college in the Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh that killed 10 newborns. Officials also refuted the claim that the hospital has expired fire extinguishers and claimed that short circuit to be the cause of the tragic incident.
Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Gyanendra Kumar Singh told the news agency PTI that autopsies for seven of the deceased infants were conducted on Saturday, while the remaining three are pending due to unidentified parents.
District Magistrate Avinash Kumar stated the fire broke out around 10:45 pm on Friday in the NICU wards of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, one of the largest government hospitals in the state’s Bundelkhand region, likely caused by an electrical short circuit.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed the Divisional Commissioner of Jhansi, the fire department, and the Deputy Inspector General of Police to submit a report on the incident within 12 hours.
Addressing allegations about expired fire extinguishers at the medical college, Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak emphasised that all firefighting equipment was fully functional, noting that a fire safety audit was conducted in February, followed by a mock drill in June.
Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak and the medical college principal, Dr. Narendra Singh Sengar, dismissed media claims labelling it as baseless” regarding expired firefighting equipment, asserting that all safety measures were up to date, including a fire safety audit in February and a mock drill in June.
The NICU housed premature babies, and while the fire was extinguished swiftly, the sorrow among grieving parents remains palpable.
President Droupadi Murmu called this incident “extremely heartbreaking” while Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the compensastion of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased. The government of Uttar Pradesh has also declared an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh.
The opposition parties accused the BJP government in the state and said that the deaths have raised serious questions about the administration’s negligence.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered immediate rescue operations, with officials holding charge on Friday night and ensuring the evacuation of most infants within 15-20 minutes. Most of the infants were shifted to the PICU ward.
Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of the deceased children and ordered the officials to provide all possible help to the victims. “Ten newborns died in the accident, while 54 were rescued,” he said.
A further statement from the state government add, “On the CM’s instructions, an assistance of Rs 5 lakh each is being provided to the parents of the newborns who died in the incident and Rs 50,000 to the family of each of the injured from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.”
The chief minister has also issued directions to the Divisional Commissioner of Jhansi and the deputy inspector general of police to submit a report on the incident within 12 hours, it added.
Fire Was Caused By A Short Circuit: UP CM Yogi Adityanath
While attending an election rally at Phulpur in Prayagraj, Adityanath claimed that the fire was caused by a short circuit. “To ensure that other children were rescued, we were up all night coordinating (with officials) for relief and rescue efforts,” he said. “My heart goes out to those who lost their children,” the CM also said.
The state government stated that soon after the information about the incident was reported, Adityanath sent Deputy CM Pathak and the principal health secretary to the spot. “Sixteen children are undergoing treatment in other wards of the medical college. The children, who were three to four days old, have been kept on a warmer,” Deputy CM Pathak told news agency PTI on Saturday.
“Instructions have been issued to launch a three-tier probe into the incident. The Jhansi Divisional Commissioner and the 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,” the deputy chief minister said in a post on X.
झांसी के महारानी लक्ष्मीबाई मेडिकल कॉलेज के नवजात शिशु गहन चिकित्सा कक्ष (एसएनसीयू वार्ड) में अग्निकाण्ड की हुई दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण दुर्घटना की त्रिस्तरीय जांच के निर्देश दिए गए हैं। प्रथम दृष्टया आयुक्त झांसी एवं उपमहानिरीक्षक झांसी द्वारा 24 घंटे में जांच कर रिपोर्ट प्रेषित करने के…
— Brajesh Pathak (@brajeshpathakup) November 16, 2024
In another post on social media platform X, Pathak stated that he had conversations with the families of the children injured in the fire and assured them of all possible assistance.
“We will detect the cause of the incident and whose negligence led to it. The priority is giving quality treatment to the injured,” Pathak told PTI.
Responding to the rescue operations, the principal of the medical college said, “The children who did not suffer any burn injury or suffocation are being taken care of at the district hospital. The rescued children have been admitted to other wards of the medical college, district hospital, and private nursing homes.”
Senior Superintendent of Police Sudha Singh reported on Saturday that 16 injured children are receiving treatment, and efforts are being made to save their lives.
She mentioned that some parents reportedly took their children home after the fire broke out in the NICU, and police are working to verify the exact number of infants in the ward and their current condition.
“The medical college has informed that 52 to 54 children were admitted at the time of the incident. While 10 of them died, 16 are undergoing treatment. Verification for others is ongoing,” Singh added.
The incident has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the repeated occurrence of such tragedies in Uttar Pradesh raises serious concerns about government and administrative negligence.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called for a thorough investigation and strict legal action against those responsible for any lapses.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav urged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to prioritize improving health and medical facilities instead of focusing on election campaigns. He also demanded Rs 1 crore compensation for the bereaved families and warned against a repeat of incidents like Gorakhpur.
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