Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Monday that the registration of the hospital where at least six newborn babies died in a fire had ended in March, ANI reported.
The blaze took place at Baby Care New Born Hospital in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar area on Saturday night.
Bharadwaj on Monday said that the hospital had applied for renewing its registration in February, but the application was pending because the requisite documents had not been submitted.
“The owner of the hospital runs another such hospital in Paschim Puri,” the minister said. “Previously, two cases were registered against him in two separate matters pertaining to lapses found at his hospital during the surprise inspection and running of the hospital without registration.”
On Sunday, the Delhi Police arrested Naveen Kichi, the owner of the medical facility, along with a doctor named Akash, who was on duty on Saturday night, after registering a case under sections of the Indian Penal Code related to endangering the life or personal safety of others and causing death by negligence.
The two accused men were on Monday remanded to three days of police custody, according to ANI.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Surendra Chaudhary alleged that the hospital had more than the authorised number of oxygen cylinders, reported NDTV. The fire on Saturday reportedly intensified because several oxygen cylinders at the medical facility exploded.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has also set up an inquiry into the incident.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh would be given to the families of the dead from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. He added that Rs 50,000 each would be given to those injured.
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