Bhopal hospital fire: Kamal Nath demands probe

Bhopal, Nov 9: Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath on Tuesday demanded a high-level probe in the fire incident at Kamla Nehru hospital where four infants died. He alleged that the fire fighting system was defunct.

Reacting to the incident, Nath said it is the second time when such an incident occurred in Bhopal. "Families have lost their newborn due to the negligence of the security system and administration of the hospital.

"This is the second such incident in Kamla Nehru hospital. It is a grave negligence. The fire safety system of the hospital was defunct and the responsible authorities were unaware of it. Responsibilities should be fixed and strict action must be taken against them," Nath added.

He also said the Madhya Pradesh Medical Education Minister Vishvas Kailash Sarang was responsible for the incident.

Meanwhile, state Mahila Congress president Archana Jaiswal along with party workers reached the hospital and tried to forcibly enter. Police deployed there stopped them which resulted in a heated argument between the police officials and the Congress workers. However, the situation was brought under control.

Fire occurred on the fourth floor of the building and the children were admitted to the special children care unit located on the third floor. As per the officials, a total of 40 children were on the ward when the fire broke out.

Earlier in the day, Vishvas Sarang said that four infants have died due to suffocation, while 36 children were evacuated safely.

Sources claimed that the number of deaths have increased from four to seven, however, no official confirmation was there.