Jabalpur hospital fire: 4 doctors, manager booked for negligence

Police superintendent Siddharth Bahuguna said an investigation was on into the role of the government officials

Published on: Aug 2, 2022, 13:45:03 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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