Covid-19 hospital, where eight killed, didn't have fire NOC, fire alarm, says FIR

Five days after eight patients were killed in a fire incident at a coronavirus designated private hospital, the Ahmedabad city police registered an FIR against hospital's chief administrator Bharat Mahant, reported to be associated with the BJP, for culpable homicide and negligence, among other charges.

Police said that the FIR is based on investigation reports submitted by the fire department and forensic experts which have revealed that a short circuit in an electronic appliance caused the fire and gross negligence led to the tragic deaths.

The reports, as mentioned in the FIR, has found that the hospital authority violated several fire safety norms and didn't have a fire NOC. The move came a day after a report on the fire was submitted by a two-member committee comprising Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sangeeta Singh and ACS (Urban) Mukesh Puri on Monday. Meanwhile, the chief minister Vijay Rupani has also ordered a judicial probe into the incident by a retired Gujarat High Court judge.

The FIR states that the hospital named "Shrey" didn't have a fire NOC and, therefore, the fire department couldn't do the hospital's fire audit or inspection. "Had these norms been followed, the anomaly in the fire fighting system could have been rectified but due to gross negligence of hospital administrators it couldn't be done which resulted in the loss of eight innocent lives," says the FIR registered on a complaint made by Assistant Commissioner of Police L B Jhala.

According to the FIR, the hospital didn't have a fire alarm system due to which the staff couldn't get the information about fire in time. It was found that there were nearly two dozen fire extinguishers in the ICCU ward but the doctors and paramedical staff on duty couldn't use them as they didn't know how to use them. The FIR says, "such lacking also shows gross negligence on the part of the administrator."

The FIR states, "despite such a serious incident, neither staff, supervisor or even manager of the hospital informed police or fire brigade in time." It says that "the information of the incident was given to police and fire brigade by the patients which again is grave negligence on part of the administrator." According to the FIR, "The windows on two walls each facing north and south directions had been affixed with screws for unknown reasons which blocked the ventilation. Due to fire and suffocation, as there was not enough ventilation, eight patients died in the ICCU ward."

On August 6 early morning, eight of the coronavirus patients Arif Mansuri, Narendra Shah, Navneet Shah, Manu Rami, Leelvati Shah, Jyoti Sindhi, Manu Rami and Ayesha Tirmizi died in the incident at Shrey Hospital. Mahant has been booked under Indian Penal Code's section 304A (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), section 336 (negligent or rash act to endanger lives), section 337, causing hurt to person by doing a rash or negligent act that endangers human life and section 338, causing grievous hurt by act endangering human life. Reports suggest that Mahant is associated with the BJP, however, he doesn't hold any official post. His father Vijaydas Mahant was ex-President of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee.