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Vivek Vihar hospital fire: police file chargesheet; 81 witnesses questioned
Police say oxygen cylinders stored in hazardous manner exploded as soon as the blaze started; hospital staff allowed to cook food on the rooftop; on-duty doctor didn’t inform police in time
Chargesheet
| Photo Credit: Delhi
Two months after seven newborn babies were charred to death in a fire incident at a hospital in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar area, the police filed a 796-page chargesheet with statements of 81 witnesses in a court here on Monday.
The incident took place at Baby Care New Born Hospital on May 25.
The police had arrested hospital owner Naveen Khichi and a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) doctor, Akash, under IPC Sections 34 (common intention), 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide).
The chargesheet, filed at a Karkardooma court, stated that flaws in the medical facility’s structural design prevented emergency response and that the on-duty doctor did not alert the police or the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) in time.
It stated that medical oxygen cylinders were kept in a “hazardous manner” and that too beyond the permissible limit. These exploded as soon as the fire started.
A police source said the hospital did not meet eight statutory requirements needed to run a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
“There is no document available to show the safety measures implemented by the hospital,” stated the chargesheet.
It stated that at the time of the issuance of the licence to the hospital, the hospital owner had declared that only 15 oxygen cylinders would be stored. However, norms were flouted and a total of 31 cylinders were stored at the hospital in violation of rules.
The police also said that, according to two witnesses, Dr. Akash did not call the police as soon as the blaze started and was seen talking over the phone, causing an emergency response delay of at least 30 minutes.
The source said the nursing staff on duty told the police that the owner of the hospital “allowed the male staff members to cook food on the rooftop”.
According to the chargesheet, the nursing staff had brought this to the notice of the owner, but to no avail.
Inflammable material
To determine the cause of the fire, a team including a forensic expert and officials from the DFS and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi inspected the site. The accused had stored inflammable material — bundles of old paper and wooden material — which aggravated the fire, the chargesheet also stated.
Moreover, the police recorded evidence from documents of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Delhi government. The chargesheet stated that the renewal application of the hospital had been pending with the DGHS since 2021.
“From the probe conducted so far and relying upon statements of witnesses, sufficient evidence has come on record against the accused,” the source said.
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