Jhansi Medical College Fire: NHRC Issues Notice To UP Govt, Police Chief; 4-Member Panel Formed For State Probe

Jhansi Medical College Fire: NHRC has issued a notice to the state government and police chief for a detailed report within a week. The UP government has formed a probe committee to determine the cause of the blaze.

Jhansi: Charred remains inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are seen after a fire at the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, in Jhansi district, early Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024.

Source : PTI

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the state’s police chief following a tragic fire at the children's ward of a medical college in Jhansi, which claimed the lives of 10 newborns. The commission, describing reports of the incident as deeply disturbing, sought a detailed report from the authorities within a week.

In its statement, the NHRC observed that the incident appeared to involve significant negligence, leading to a grave violation of human rights. The victims were under the care of a government institution, and the commission expressed concern over the reported deaths. 

The NHRC took suo motu cognisance of a media report that stated the fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College on the night of Friday, November 15.

10 newborns died in the blaze, while 16 others were injured and 37 were rescued safely. Authorities confirmed that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit, with the newborns who perished being in incubators at the time.

The commission has issued notices to the chief secretary and the Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh, requesting a report detailing the status of the FIR, the actions taken against officials responsible for the tragedy, the medical treatment being provided to the injured, and any compensation provided to the families of the deceased. The NHRC also asked for information on steps taken or planned by authorities to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Jhansi Medical College Fire: UP Govt Forms 4-Member Committee For Probe, Electrical Short Circuit Suspected Cause

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has formed a four-member committee to investigate the fire. The committee will be headed by the Director General of Medical Education and Training and is tasked with identifying the cause of the fire and determining whether negligence was involved. It has been asked to submit its report within seven days, news agency PTI reported.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed 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. There have been claims that the medical college had expired fire extinguishers, but Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak rejected these allegations, stating that all firefighting equipment in the college was functioning properly. He also clarified that a fire safety audit had been conducted in February and a mock drill took place in June. The college’s principal, Dr Narendra Singh Sengar, similarly dismissed the claims as baseless.

Sixteen children who survived the blaze are receiving treatment in other wards of the medical college, with reports stating that they were being kept on warmers. The fire at the NICU has been extinguished, but the atmosphere remains heavy with grief. Families of the victims, including many young mothers, gathered outside the children’s ward, mourning their losses.

Yakub Mansuri, who was sleeping outside the ward when the fire broke out, managed to rescue several newborns by breaking through a window. Unfortunately, he was unable to save his two daughters. Santoshi, a mother who gave birth just 11 days ago, was seen sitting on the ground in tears, unable to come to terms with the loss of her child, as per PTI.

The post-mortem of seven infants was conducted on Saturday, but the autopsy of three others could not be carried out as their parents have not yet been identified, according to Additional Superintendent of Police (City) of Jhansi, Gyanendra Kumar Singh.

District Magistrate Avinash Kumar confirmed that the fire broke out at approximately 10:45 pm on Friday in the NICU, one of the largest government hospitals in Bundelkhand. Authorities have indicated that an electrical short circuit is believed to have caused the blaze.