No proof of mock drill leading to death of 22 patients in Agra hospital: Report
Agra: A team of doctors investigating an alleged 'mock drill' by a private hospital here has given a clean chit to the facility, saying it found no proof of an exercise during which oxygen supply was cut off and 22 patients reportedly died.
The enquiry had been ordered by the Agra administration last week after a video clip surfaced on social media in which the owner of the city's Shri Paras Hospital was purportedly heard saying that he conducted a "mock drill" in which oxygen supply was cut off for COVID-19 patients for five minutes.
In the video, the hospitals' owner, Dr Arinjay Jain, was purportedly also heard saying that after the oxygen supply was shut off, bodies of 22 patients started turning blue.
The enquiry report submitted by the panel of doctors to the district authorities said there was no proof of a 'mock drill' during which oxygen supply was cut off for five minutes due to which 22 patients allegedly died at the hospital.
The panel, however, mentioned that 16 patients died at the facility during April 26-27 due to co-morbidities and other issues.
"Out of the 16 patients, who died in that period of 26th and 27th April, 14 had co-morbidities, while two had other issues," the report stated.
After the video clip was shared widely on social media, the hospital was sealed and a case was registered against the owner under the Epidemic Diseases Act.
Two panels were formed to conduct the enquiry a four-member death audit committee and a two-member magisterial committee. On Friday night, District Magistrate Prabhu N Singh released a report based on those submitted by the two panels.
Giving a clean chit to the hospital, the report said the facility monitored symptoms of hypoxia and oxygen saturation levels of patients so that treatment could be done with limited oxygen availability.
A bedside analysis of every patient was done, and it was found that 22 patients were in critical condition, it added.
The investigating committee also mentioned that the hospital had adequate oxygen cylinders. It was using 149 oxygen cylinders with 20 in reserve on April 25 and 121 oxygen cylinders with 15 in reserve on April 26, it said.
Attendants of the patients had also arranged oxygen cylinders of their own, the committee further said.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
