Tragedy struck Jhansi, a city about 100 km from Gwalior, hours before Friday midnight as a massive fire engulfed a ward meant for infants at a government hospital. As the city now struggles to cope with its loss, visuals from the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College paint a painful image of the grief-stricken parents.
A woman lay motionless on the land, too shocked to express her grief, as her relatives tried to console her. Beside her, a man struggled to hold up his grief-stricken wife and cried, “mera bachcha jal gaya (my child has been burnt)”.
Bhagwati, mother of an infant, recounted how she pulled a daring stunt to save her child from the burning war. “Everyone was screaming as the ward went up in flames. They were picking up the babies and handing them outside the windows. I ran inside, picked my baby, and came out,” she said.
Visuals last night showed men handing over the babies one by one across the window as a crowd gathered outside.
“No one came for our rescue,” said another woman.
At least 54 children were in the ward when a short-circuit possibly caused the fire. 44 of them could be rescued, officials confirmed this morning, stating that seven of the victims have been identified.
A senior official said early this morning at least 16 infants injured in the fire are still battling for life.
The parents of some of the injured children alleged they are not being allowed to meet their babies who are undergoing treatment, sparking a flash protest on the hospital premises. Sources suggest the parents were not allowed to meet their babies to avoid any confusion over their identities.
Political Blame Game
A bitter blame game has erupted over the fire incident with the opposition alleging negligence by the hospital administration. Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav has suggested that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath must leave his election campaigns and focus on the health facilities in the state.
The Congress, too, has alleged the administration’s failure with the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi calling for strict action against the guilty.
Yogi Adityanath, addressing a rally today, called it a tragic incident and expressed condolences to the victims’ families. The centre and the state have announced separate financial assistance for the victims’ families and the injured.