Delhi hospital fire tragedy: Doctor’s bail plea rejected
New Delhi, June 3
A Delhi Court on Monday dismissed the bail plea of Dr Akash, the on-duty ayurvedic doctor at Baby Care New Born Hospital, where a fire on May 25 killed eight new-borns, criticising the lack of a “logical reason” for his presence in the hospital’s most critical ward despite his qualifications.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vidhi Gupta Anand rejected the argument that Dr Akash was merely a trainee, highlighting that he provided treatment and prescriptions to the infants.
The court expressed disapproval of Dr Akash’s actions during the fire, noting that he “ran away from the hospital when the fire began and failed to immediately call emergency services, resulting in a significant delay that could have saved the lives of newborn babies.” The court also labelled it as “highly insensitive” the defence’s claim that the infants were not victims of the blaze since they died from suffocation rather than burns.
The investigation revealed that Dr Akash, who holds a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) and was only authorised to practice in Haryana, was found working in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The court emphasised that his role in this critical ward and the supervisory capacity he exercised required further investigation.
The hospital, Baby Care New Born Child Hospital in East Delhi’s Vivek Vihar, was allegedly operating illegally with an expired licence and without Fire Department clearance.
Dr Akash and the hospital owner, Dr Naveen Khichi, were arrested and sent to judicial custody on May 30. The court underscored the severity of the alleged offenses and the ongoing nature of the investigation, citing the risk of Dr Akash fleeing or influencing witnesses as grounds for denying bail.
