The Opposition Congress party on Saturday slammed the Yogi Adityanath led- Uttar Pradesh government, demanding that the causes of the tragic fire in Jhansi be thoroughly investigated and that strict legal action be taken against those responsible for the negligence.
At least 10 children died in the fire that engulfed the children’s ward of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district, officials said, while 16 others, injured in the blaze, fought for their lives.
District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar informed reporters that the fire broke out around 10.45 pm on Friday in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the medical college, possibly due to an electrical short circuit.
Taking to his official handle on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “The news of the death of innocent children in the accident at the medical college in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, is extremely painful. Our deepest condolences to the families of all the children who died in this heartbreaking accident. May God give strength to their families to bear this sorrow.”
“We demand that the government investigate the causes of this accident and take strict legal action against whoever is guilty of such negligence,” Kharge added.
Congress leader Ajai Rai lashed out at the state government for failing to take responsibility and address the needs of the people, saying, “This very tragic incident deeply saddens me. I express my condolences for the newborns who were being treated at the hospital when this unfortunate event occurred. It is a deeply painful and heart-wrenching situation, especially for the innocent babies who were there.”
Rai also accused Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of focusing on political campaigns instead of addressing the state’s healthcare crisis. “Such incidents have occurred several times in Uttar Pradesh, and a similar event happened in Varanasi as well. The government is only ordering investigations, but I believe Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is traveling across the country, engaging in politics of hatred. He is sowing seeds of hatred instead of taking care of the responsibility that the people of Uttar Pradesh have entrusted to him,” Rai told ANI.
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Pramod Tiwari, another Congress leader, alleged that hospital staff failed to act swiftly to save the children. “Newborns died because of the carelessness of the administration. There should be effort to avoid such incidents in future. If the equipment to douse fire was not working, then these are not deaths but murders,” Tiwari told PTI.
Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav also weighed in, calling the incident “extremely sad and worrying.” He demanded punitive action for those responsible, adding that the Chief Minister should leave the election campaign and focus on the poor condition of health and medical facilities in the state.
Yadav further criticised the state’s health minister, saying, ” As for the ‘Health and Medical Minister’ of UP, there is nothing to say to him because it is because of him that the health and medical system in UP has deteriorated so much today. The minister, who is busy making low-level comments of narrow-communal politics, may not even remember that he is the ‘Health and Medical Minister’. He neither has any power nor any will power, he just has a plaque with his name on it.”
“First of all, the UP BJP government should provide world-class medical facilities to all the burnt children and give Rs 1 crore each as condolence money to all the bereaved families who have lost their children,” he added.
In response to the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a financial relief package for the victims’ families. The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that PM Modi has sanctioned an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased, while the injured will receive Rs 50,000 from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also expressed his condolences, offering Rs 5 lakh in financial assistance to the families of the deceased. The state government has directed the Divisional Commissioner and Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of Jhansi to submit a report on the incident within 12 hours.