Gorakhpur tragedy: District Magistrate report punches holes in CM Yogi Adityanath's claim

Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, it seems, will have to eat its own words denying shortage of oxygen behind the mass deaths of children at Gorakhpur BRD Medical College.

The magisterial inquiry report, submitted by Gorakhpur District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela to Medical Education Minister Ashutosh Tandon Gopalji on Sunday, is learnt to have made a mention of the "breakdown" of oxygen supply on August 10, 2017 at the hospital.

When the deaths of 30 children in 48 hours hogged media headlines on August 11, 2017, the local BJP MLAs had held a closed-door meeting with the DM and had suggested him to order a magisterial inquiry.

Though the report was to be submitted on Saturday, it was delayed for a day after the CM send Health Minister Dr Siddharth Nath Singh and Medical Education Minister Ashutosh Tandon Gopalji for a spot inquiry.

Refusing to make any comment on the DM's report, Tandon told mediapersons that since the CM has ordered a high-level probe by the Chief Secretary, "let's wait for the report". "Responsibilities will be fixed and action will follow on the basis of Chief Secretary's report," he added.

Contradictory statements by the ministers only compounded government's problems. Tandon suspended BRD Medical College principal Dr Rajeev Kumar Mishra not knowing that he had already put in his papers.

The Medical Education Minister claimed that Dr Mishra left Gorakhpur on August 10 when crisis hit the hospital without verifying that the Principal had sought prior permission from Director General Medical Education to attend an official conference in Rishikesh.

Moreover, Tandon did not inquire from hospital authorities about clearance of dues to oxygen supplier when he was present in the meeting with the CM on August 9 at the BRD Medical College. Suppliers had sent as many as 20 letters to him, DGME, Additional Chief Secretary Medical Education Anita Bhatnagar Jain, hospital authorities, DM etc in the last six months but the government only acted on August 1, 2017 letter.

The suspended principal Dr Mishra claimed hat he had sent letters to the state government on July 16, 19 and August 1, 2017 seeking budget to clear dues of the supplier.

Similarly, Dr Siddharth Nath Singh kept on denying deaths due to shortage of oxygen but at the same time admitted that supply was disrupted for a few hours at the hospital. He could not give any plausible answer to the reason behind the 23 deaths officially reported by the hospital authorities.

District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela, on the other hand, formed the magisterial inquiry committee with members who should have been held responsible for deaths of children. Members of the committee included the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and a senior district doctors.