The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken serious note of the fire that claimed the lives of 10 infants at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College, Jhansi.
Deeming the incident a&nbsp;&ldquo;grave violation&rdquo; of human rights, the body has issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary and Director General of Police. State authorities have been asked to submit a detailed report within a week&nbsp;on the negligence that caused the fatal fire.
In a statement released on November 16, the commission described the reports of the tragedy as &ldquo;disturbing&rdquo; and indicative of negligence by the hospital authorities. It observed that the victims were under the care of a government institution, which failed to ensure their safety.
Preliminary investigations suggest that an electrical short circuit may have triggered the fire late Friday (November 15) night, engulfing the NICU where 54 infants were admitted at the time.
The commission has emphasized&nbsp;the critical need for accountability and detailed clarity on the circumstances leading to the disaster.
It has asked the state government to include in its report steps taken to ensure justice for the victims and measures adopted to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on instructed senior officials, including the Divisional Commissioner and Deputy Inspector General of Police in Jhansi, to submit a preliminary report on the incident. UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, accompanied by Principal Secretary, Health, Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma, visited the site on to oversee rescue operations and assess the damage. Earlier in the day, the hospital officials reported that 16 of the 45 rescued infants remain in a critical condition.
&mdash;IANS

UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak visited the site of the fire on November 16

Chief Secretary, DGP to respond on ‘grave violation’ of human rights due to negligence in a week

Jhansi Fire: NHRC Seeks Detailed Report

Chief Secretary, DGP to respond on ‘grave violation’ of human rights due to negligence in a week

November 17, 2024 | 11:06 IST