Four doctors were on the run while a manager was arrested after they were booked for negligence over the death of eight people in a fire at a private hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur on Monday, police said on Tuesday.
Police superintendent Siddharth Bahuguna said an investigation was on into the role of the government officials in granting permissions for the hospital to operate without checking the infrastructure. “If government officials are found involved for giving permissions overlooking lapses, a case will be registered against them too.”
He said the manager, Ram Soni, has been arrested while four doctors Nishant Gupta, Suresh Patel, Sanjay Patel, and Santosh Soni, were absconding. Bahuguna said the five have been booked under the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 304 (death due to negligence) and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide). The case against them was registered on the complaint of an eyewitness and two people, who suffered injuries in the fire.
Officials cited the investigation so far and said a no objection certificate the director and manager of the hospital got from the fire department expired in March 2022. The fire extinguishers were also not installed and there was no emergency exit from the hospital.
Kushagra Thakur, a fire officer, said the hospital did not have any system for an auto power cut. “…when the fire brigade was dousing the fire, we felt an electric shock. The rescue work stopped for 10 minutes and the electricity department discontinued the power supply of the area to resume it.”
Authorities had also written a letter to the hospital management regarding fire safety but no action was taken.