New Delhi, May 26: Seven newborns were killed and five injured in a massive fire at a private neonatal hospital in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar that was allegedly operating illegally with an “expired” licence and no clearance from the fire department, according to officials.
Police said on Sunday they arrested the hospital's owner Dr Naveen Khichi and Dr Aaksh, who was on duty at the time of the incident on Saturday night.
According to a report submitted by the District Magistrate (Shahdara) to the Delhi Divisional Commissioner, there were 12 babies admitted in the hospital at the time of the incident. While one died on the spot, 11 were shifted to a hospital in the vicinity where six were declared dead on arrival.
The deceased children included four boys and three girls. All were 15 days old except one boy aged 25 days.
The bodies have been shifted to the GTB Hospital for postmortem, the police said.
A case has been registered at Vivek Vihar police station under IPC sections 336 (act endangering life and personal safety of others) and 304A (causing death by negligence), 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide).
The initial cause of the fire is stated to be a short circuit but a probe is on, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Surendra Choudhary said.
The Delhi government has ordered a magisterial probe into the fire tragedy. In an order, Divisional Commissioner Ashwani Kumar directed the district magistrate of Shahdara to inquire into the incident.
The police said besides an expired licence, the hospital also did not have qualified doctors and had no clearance from the fire department.
“The licence issued to the Baby Care New Born Child Hospital by Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Government of Delhi, had already expired on March 31.
“Even the expired licence issued to the said hospital allowed for five beds only,” DCP Surendra Choudhary said.
“During the investigations, we got to know that the doctors are not qualified/competent to treat the newborn children in need of neonatal intensive care, as they are BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) degree holders only,” said the DCP.
The police said that there was no fire extinguisher installed in the hospital for any emergency in case of fire and there was no emergency exit.
Officials of the Fire Department said that the hospital did not have a clearance from the department.
