Institutional murder: Cong slams Yogi govt over death of 10 infants at Jhansi hospital

Lucknow, Nov 16 (IANS) Congress party tore into Yogi Adityanath government on Saturday, over devastating fire at Jhansi’s Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical college that claimed lives of 10 newborns and left over a dozen critically injured.  

The fire, suspected to have been caused by a short circuit, broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at approximately 10:45 pm on Friday. At the time, 54 infants were in the unit, with 45 being rescued. However, 16 children remain critically injured, battling for their lives.

Opposition parties have accused the state government of "gross negligence" in handling the healthcare system, with demands for Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Brajesh Pathak to resign.

Addressing a press conference, Congress MP Randeep Surjewala called the incident an "institutional murder" rather than an accident.

"What happened in Jhansi, where ten newborns were charred to death, is tragic and heart-wrenching. The pain of those parents, especially the mothers, who lost their children in such a horrifying manner, is unimaginable," said Surjewala.

He slammed CM Adityanath for focusing on divisive rhetoric during election campaigns instead of ensuring safety measures in hospitals.

"On one side is the pain of those mothers of Jhansi, and on the other side is UP CM Yogi Adityanath, who spreads the 'batoge to katoge' stories. I would like to repeat, it is not an accident; it is an institutional murder," he said.

"UP CM, who spews fire with 'batoge to katoge' slogans should have rather checked fire extinguishers at Jhansi hospital which had expired in 2000 itself. If he had noticed this, all those ten children would have been alive today," he continued.

"Eyewitnesses are saying this was not due to a short circuit but because the hospital lacked fire safety alarms. This is criminal negligence," he claimed.

Surjewala also recalled past incidents including 2017 tragedy in Gorakhpur, and another incident in Farrukhabad same year, where 49 children lost their lives.

"Instead of 'batenge to katenge' rhetoric, Yogi Adityanath should focus on these issues. Despite these tragedies, no preventive measures have been taken," he added.

Taking a personal dig at Adityanath, Surjewala said, "Yogi Aditynath is not married. I respect his decision to follow celibacy, but I wish he had a child to understand the pain of losing a newborn. How can a chief minister be so insensitive?"

Former Congress MP Danish Ali also condemned the state government, calling it "insensitive."

He questioned the administration's priorities, saying, "Preparations for welcoming the Deputy Chief Minister were made at the hospital while families mourned the loss of their children. People's lives have become so cheap in Uttar Pradesh."

Ali urged CM Yogi to focus on improving healthcare in the state rather than making ‘divisive’ statements like batoge to katoge.