FIR registered against 5 hospital directors in Ujjain hospital fire incident

The death toll in the incidence has reached two as one 80-year-old man who suffered burns during the incidence died while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Indore on Wednesday evening. Earlier, a woman who had sustained burns during the blaze died while undergoing treatment at the SAIMS in Indore on Tuesday morning.

The action was taken on the recommendation of a four-member panel set up to ascertain the cause behind the fire incidence that gutted the isolation ward of corona patients on the second floor of the Hospital near Zero Point Over-bridge within an hour on April 4.

Fire brigade, police personnel and the kins of patients managed to rescue as many as 80 patients, including 62 persons infected with COVID-19. Four patients sustained burns in the incident.

The investigation team comprising Ujjain SDM Govind Dubey, CSP Madhav Nagar Hemlata Agrawal, FSL officer Preeti Gaikwad, and Ujjain Municipal Corporation's fire officer Ajay Singh Rajput probed the incidence and compliance of safety norms by the hospital.

According to a Freepress journal report, TI Manish said that on behalf of the government, 5 directors of the Hospital have been booked under Section 285 (whoever does, with fire or any combustible matter, any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life, or to be likely to cause hurt or injury to any other person, or knowingly or negligently omits to take such order with any fire or any combustible matter in his possession as is sufficient to guard against), 287 (whoever does, with any machinery, any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life, or to be likely to cause hurt or injury to any other person, or knowingly or negligently omits to take such order with any machinery in his possession or under his care as is sufficient to guard against any probable danger to) and 337 (whoever causes hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life, or the personal safety of others shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with a fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both) of IPC.

On the application of deceased woman's son, a case under Section 304 (A) (whoever causes the death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both) of the IPC has been registered against the same directors.

Collector Singh told Free Press Journal that the investigation report has been received. According to him, the committee recommended that an FIR be lodged against the hospital management and the license of the hospital should be cancelled. A show-cause notice has been issued to the hospital management with regard to cancellation of license, the collector said adding that after repair of the hospital will be used solely as at the Covid-19 Care Hospital for the time being.

Son of deceased woman recollected his eye witness account alleging that the patients and their kin were left to fend for themselves as soon the fire broke. He accused hospital management of laxity in safety measures and said that the hospital's fire hydrant line was found to be defunct while few fire extinguishers which were found on the premises were found to be inadequate.

Now, the complainant has demanded that an offense be registered under Section 302 of the IPC against the owners and hospital management, reports Free Press.