Bihar ICU fire: ‘Absent’ on-duty doctor among 3 hospital staff held for ‘negligence’ leading to 6 deaths

Those arrested include the hospital’s maintenance head Ajit Kumar, administrative head Ram Kumar, and Dr Pankaj Kumar the doctor who was supposed to be on duty in the ICU at the time of the incident but was allegedly absent.

Another official stated that the fire was triggered by a short circuit in an air-conditioning unit. “Maintenance Manager Ajit Kumar had failed to ensure regular servicing of the ICU AC for an extended period. And by the time Administrative Manager Ram Kumar reached the hospital on the morning of the incident, chaos had already erupted and several hospital employees had allegedly abandoned the facility, leaving patients unattended,” the official claimed.

“Due to their immediate negligence, some people lost their lives,” Ansari said, adding that Sections 106(1), 125(a) and (b), 287, and 324(4) and (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) have been invoked in the FIR. These provisions pertain to causing death by negligence, acts endangering the life or personal safety of others, negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter, and mischief.

Following their appearance before the court, the three accused were released on bail bonds as the offences registered against them fall under bailable provisions of law, sources claimed. They also said that the licence of the hospital has been cancelled.

Meanwhile the City SP said the investigation was examining the roles of the hospital’s owner and director, including whether there were any violations of building regulations and fire safety standards.

“We are conducting a fire safety audit to determine whether it was carried out on time and in accordance with regulations. If negligence is found in these aspects, the hospital owner will also be arrested and sent to judicial custody,” he said.

Five of the deceased, including two women, had been identified by Thursday evening. Of them, three were from Muzaffarpur district – Shashank Kumar of Ratanpur in Aurai, Krishnanandan Singh of Gaurigama in Rampur Hari, and Geeta Devi of Distauni in Kathaiya. The others were Uday Kumar of Vishambharpur in Sheohar district and Chanchala Verma of Rupauli in Sitamarhi district.
Meanwhile, the Muzaffarpur district administration said that another injured victim, Brajnandan Rai, succumbed to his injuries on Friday, taking the death toll in the incident to six.

A resident of Baghi Chowk in Pakahi village under Kurhani block of Muzaffarpur district, Rai had sustained severe burn injuries and was shifted to another healthcare facility after the fire. Family members had said on Thursday that his condition was critical.

Rai’s family had also alleged that they spent hours searching for him after patients were shifted from the hospital following the fire. Relatives claimed he was eventually traced at another healthcare facility after 5 hours with severe burns and was initially found without adequate medical arrangements and attention before being shifted to a better hospital for further treatment.

“Following the post-mortem examination, the body was handed over to his family. In accordance with the directions of the Chief Minister, an ex gratia assistance of Rs 4 lakh has been provided to the deceased’s wife, Lalita Devi, under the provisions of the Disaster Management Department. The amount was disbursed by the concerned Circle Officer. Earlier, on June 4, the next of kin of the five other victims were also provided ex gratia assistance of Rs 4 lakh each,” a district official said, adding that all possible support would be provided to the bereaved family.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, district authorities had indicated that a short circuit linked to equipment in the ICU was suspected to have caused the fire, though officials said the exact cause would be determined only after a detailed investigation.

Meanwhile, family members of victims have alleged serious lapses on the part of the hospital administration, claiming there was little or no assistance from staff during the emergency.

Kumar Satyam, son of deceased patient Uday Kumar, said his father had been admitted on June 1 after developing a fever and was scheduled to be discharged on Thursday. “There was no hospital staff helping patients. I saw one or two patients dragging themselves out of the ICU. Nobody was there to rescue them. The fire system and sprinklers were not working,” he alleged.

According to him, firefighters reached the hospital within about half an hour but required additional time to access the affected floor.

“By then, many people had suffocated. The biggest responsibility lies with the hospital administration. There were several staff members on duty, yet nobody noticed smoke building up inside the ICU,” he claimed.

Another relative, Mukesh Kumar, alleged that hospital personnel failed to assist patients during the crisis.

“The patients were under the hospital’s care and protection. Staff should have helped them get out. Instead, patients were struggling while attendants and people from outside pulled them to safety,” he claimed.