UP govt orders three-tier probe into Jhansi hospital fire; announces ex gratia for kin of deceased
Lucknow/Jhansi (UP) (PTI): A day after a fire engulfed the children's ward of a medical college in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district killing 10 newborns, the state government Saturday announced Rs 5 lakh ex gratia to the parents of each deceased and also ordered a three-tier probe into the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths and announced an assistance of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased.
According to Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar, the fire broke out around 10.45 pm on Friday in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) 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.
The children who were in the outer part of the NICU were rescued, along with some of those who were in the interior part of the unit.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the incident.
"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," a statement from the state government said.
The chief minister has directed the Divisional Commissioner of Jhansi and the deputy inspector general of police to submit a report on the incident within 12 hours, it added.
Addressing an election rally at Phulpur in Prayagraj, Adityanath said the fire at the hospital 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 while explaining why he was delayed in arriving at the rally.
"My heart goes out to those who lost their children," Adityanath said.
The statement from the state government said that as soon as information about the incident was received, Adityanath sent Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh 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," Pathak told PTI on Saturday.
He said strict action would be initiated against those found guilty.
"Instructions have been issued to launch a three-tier probe into the incident. The Divisional Commissioner of Jhansi and the DIG have been told to investigate 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 on X.
In another post in Hindi on X, Pathak said he has spoken to the family of the children injured in the blaze and assured them of all possible help from the Uttar Pradesh government.
Interacting with reporters, he said efforts are on to identify the newborns who were charred in the blaze. "We will find out the reasons behind the incident and whose negligence led to it. The first challenge is to give quality treatment to the injured children."
Principal of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College, Jhansi, Dr Narendra Sengar, said, "Sixteen children, who did not suffer any burn injury or suffocation, but were admitted to the NICU ward for treatment of diseases are being taken care of at the district hospital."
In the early hours of Saturday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sudha Singh told reporters that the 16 injured children were being treated and efforts were underway to save their lives.
There was also information that some parents took their children home after the fire erupted in the ward, she said, adding the police are trying to verify the tally of the children who were in the NICU and their current status.
"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," the police officer added.
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Marxism will remain relevant despite Left electoral's losses, says general secretary M A Baby
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby on Thursday asserted that the Left movement would remain relevant despite not being in power in any state, saying the ideology would continue to endure as long as social and economic inequalities persist.
Hitting back at BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar over his reported remarks that Marxism had become irrelevant, Baby, in an interview with PTI Videos, said, "So long as there is division in society, so long as there is exploitation of the majority of workers, peasants and ordinary masses by a handful of billionaires, Marxism will remain relevant."
"That perhaps Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar may not be able to understand, but this is the fact of the matter," he said.
Baby acknowledged that the CPI(M)-led Left was currently without an elected government in any state, but maintained that electoral setbacks would not diminish the movement's role.
"We may not have an elected government in any state. There were occasions when we didn't have a government. But the red flag and the commitment to organise and struggle for the rights of the dispossessed, marginalised and exploited will always be upheld by CPI(M) and the Left movement," he said.
He said the Left continued to enjoy support among workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, youth, students and women, and argued that the movement remained necessary because "oppression and assault" continued in society.
"So long as such problems exist in society, the red flag and the working class movement will continue to work among the masses," the Left leader said.
Exuding confidence on the Left's revival, Baby said the party would reflect on the reasons behind its electoral loss.
"We may be rejected in one election, but we will stage our comeback by understanding what went wrong with us," he said, adding, "We will listen to people and we will come back with higher strength."
Baby also criticised the Congress over reported factional tensions in Kerala after the Congress-led United Democratic Front's victory in the state.
"The way they are behaving is being watched by the people of Kerala," he said, referring to infighting within the Congress.
"Those who have given a massive majority to Congress and UDF would be watching all this," he added, while urging party leaders to "settle the problem in an amicable, democratic manner".
Referring to West Bengal, Baby alleged that violence had escalated following the BJP's victory in the state assembly polls.
"It is quite unfortunate that the moment BJP snatched a massive victory in West Bengal, violence has also started on a big scale," he said.
He also accused the Trinamool Congress of being "notorious for violent activities" and alleged that the "RSS-controlled BJP" had "unleashed violence in many places" after the election results.
"This is not good for Bengal, not good for the country. We wish and hope that normalcy would be restored as soon as possible," he said.
Baby said the CPI(M) and the Left in West Bengal would continue efforts to "pacify people" and avoid violence and confrontation.
Asked about former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan not reacting publicly to the election results, Baby said Vijayan would respond "at an appropriate time".
