Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 16: At least 10 newborns were charred o death and 16 more are battling for their lives in a fire that broke out at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh on Friday night.
The fire erupted in the hospital around 10:45 pm apparently due to some short circuit, District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar said while confirming the casualties. At least 54 children were admitted to the NICU at that moment as officials swung into action and rescued 44 newborns. Seven of the 10 victims have been identified, said an official, adding that DNA tests would be carried out if needed to identify the rest three.
Chaos erupted at the hospital again this morning after the parents of the injured children were not allowed to meet them. The angry relatives are now camping at the hospital in protest after they were stopped from staging a road blockade. Sources suggest the parents were not allowed to meet their children injured in the fire to avoid any confusion over the identities of the infants.
But the real cause for disallowing the grieving parents of the deceased children was said to be different. It was claimed that the authorities forced the parents to stay away to make preparations to receive the UP deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak, who hold the health portfolio, visiting the hospital. A viral video showing sprinkling lime on the road and last-minute cleaning the premises of the hospital to welcome Mr Pathak sparked outrage on Saturday morning with social media users and political parties criticising the local administration and Uttar Pradesh Government for insensitivity and collapse of whole ‘governance’ mechanism.
Visuals showed panic-struck patients and their caretakers outside the hospital and several charred medical equipment inside. A woman who lost her child said she couldn’t find her baby after the incident and was informed later the baby had died.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jhansi Sudha Singh said early this morning that 16 children who suffered injuries were being treated at local hospitals and that efforts were on to save them. All doctors were available for them, along with adequate medical facilities, she said. The UP government has also denied charges that fire alarms and other safety systems at the hospital were not working.
A short-circuit inside the oxygen concentrator possibly caused the fire, Mr Pathak said. He said the fire safety audit of the hospital was carried out in February, followed by a mock fire drill in June. “On how and why it happened, we can say something about it once the probe report comes,” said Mr Pathak. He said there would be three levels of investigation into the fire – one each by the health department, the police, and a magisterial inquiry.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath last night ordered senior officials and doctors to conduct rescue operations on a war footing and asked for the deployment of adequate fire-fighting vehicles. He has announced ₹ 5 lakh financial assistance for the families of the victims. Those who suffered serious injuries would get ₹ 50,000 each. The Chief Minister has also directed the Divisional Commissioner and the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Jhansi to submit a report within 12 hours.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi too have expressed grief over the fire tragedy. “The news of the death of several newborn babies in the accident at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh is extremely heartbreaking. May God give strength to the bereaved parents and families to bear this cruel blow. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured babies,” said President Murmu.
Calling the fire incident “heartbreaking”, PM Modi has announced ₹ 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the victims’ families and ₹ 50,000 for the injured. “My deepest condolences to those who have lost their innocent children in this. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss. The local administration, under the supervision of the state government, is making every possible effort for relief and rescue,” said the Prime Minister.
This stark contrast between the preparation for the VIP’s arrival and the grieving families’ despair has drawn criticism from opposition parties, particularly the Congress.
“Look at the insensitivity of the BJP government. On one hand, children were burnt to death, their families were crying and wailing. On the other hand, lime was being sprayed on the road to welcome the Deputy Chief Minister. The family even says that there was filth spread all across the compound, which was cleaned before the arrival of the Deputy Chief Minister. This is the height of the government’s insensitivity. Children are dying by burning and this government is busy in polishing its face. Shameful!” the Congress posted on X.
Party President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, joined the chorus of critics and condemned the UP government’s handling of the tragedy.
After the uproar Mr Pathak took cognisance of the video and expressed dismay at the actions taken in his name. He asked the district Magistrate of Jhansi to act on officials who directed such an activity. “Before my visit to the medical College, someone was seen spraying lime on the campus. This is condemnable and shocking. I ask the DM to immediately act on the person who directed for such an activity,” Mr Pathak said in a video message.
Mr Pathak met with grieving families and vowed strict action against anyone found negligent in the tragedy. “The Yogi Adityanath government is standing with the children and their families. Our staff, doctors, and rescue team have worked bravely to save the children. All the firefighting equipment in the medical college was completely fine,” Mr Pathak said in the statement.
The opposition in Uttar Pradesh has alleged negligence by the hospital administration with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav demanding action against those responsible.
Principal of the medical college, Dr Narendra Singh Sengar, also termed as “baseless” the allegations that the hospital had expired fire extinguishers. “A total of 146 fire extinguisher systems are installed in the medical college. At the time of the accident, the fire extinguisher of the NICU ward was also used. All these equipment are also audited from time to time. During this, the deficiencies are removed,” Dr Sengar said. “All these were audited in February while a mock drill was conducted in June. The claim of fire extinguishers being faulty in the medical college is completely baseless. The fire broke out in the ward due to a short circuit. The accident is being investigated,” he added.