Fourth Accused Arrested In Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy

The Uttar Pradesh police has arrested a clerk of the BRD Medical College in connection with the death of dozens of children at the state-run hospital last month, the fourth arrest in the case.

Sudhir Pandey was named in the FIR filed in the case and was arrested from near Khajanchi Chowk under the Shahpur police station area last night on a tip-off, Superintendent of Police Anirudh Siddharth Pankaj said today.

Mr Pandey is the fourth accused -- nine have been named in the FIR -- to be arrested in connection with the case, the SSP said.

Investigating Officer Abhishek Singh said Mr Pandey was produced in a court today which sent him in 14-day judicial custody. He said a manhunt is on to arrest the other accused.

Earlier, the police had arrested the then principal of the college Rajiv Mishra, his medico-wife Purnima Shukla, and Dr Kafeel Khan, the then nodal officer of the 100-bed Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) ward of the college.

Following the deaths, mostly of infants, cases were registered under various sections of the IPC, Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Medical Council Act against nine people, including the doctor couple, Dr Khan, anaesthetist Dr Satish, pharmacist Gajanan Jaiswal, clerk Sudhir Pandey, assistant clerk Sanjay Kumar Tripathi and gas suppliers Uday Pratap Singh and Manish Bhandari.

Mr Mishra was suspended as principal of the medical college on August 12 after the deaths were reported. He resigned the same day taking moral responsibility.

There were allegations that the deaths happened due to disruption in oxygen supply as the vendor had not been paid for several months.

While the Uttar Pradesh government vehemently denied that shortage of oxygen led to the deaths, a high-power probe committee headed by Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar indicted Mr Mishra and others of laxity and other charges.

The medical college attracted global attention when more than 60 children died at the hospital within a span of a week last month.