Taking the death toll to 70, another child battled for life and succumbed to encephalitis on Sunday, in Gorakhpur’s Baba Raghav Das Medical College hospital.
Till Friday, the death toll stood at 60.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the matter and a committee has been formed to look into the tragedy.
He will visit the hospital on Sunday along with Union health minister, JP Nadda.
Adityanath had said that “he has asked a team of top ministers to determine if the death of the children was actually due to a disruption in oxygen supply at the hospital and assured to “not spare anyone found guilty”.
“We have suspended the principal of the BRD Medical College and taking him guilty for his actions and an investigation on him has already been ordered and is underway. Those found guilty won’t be spared”, he added.
Senior Congress leader and former health minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad branded the move as an ‘eyewash’, and demanded that an all-party delegation should look into the matter.
“The administration was notified of the lack of oxygen. Local media reports also hinted at the possibility of a large tragedy in the hospital. It is shocking that nothing was done about it. Suspending the Principal after this and announcing an enquiry into the matter is just an eyewash. There should be an all-party probe into this; the matter should not be submerged at any cost,” said Azad.
He also urged the state health minister, Siddharth Nath Singh to submit his resignation immediately.
According to data procured from the BRD hospital, a total of 60 deaths has occurred in the hospital in five days – from 7 August to 11 August.
The data also shows the number of oxygen cylinders sent for refilling each day, showing a clear shortage of liquid oxygen in the hospital.
