Punish guilty,don’t just announce relief: parents

Amritpal Singh and Manjit Kaur had been ecstatic to receive the birth certificate of their son on January 30th. They now await the death certificate of their child whose life spanned all of five day. Barely able to speak,Amritpal says,“We were overjoyed to have been blessed with a son on January 25. But five days later I was told that he had perished in flames.” The shock has taken a toll on his wife,who has been bed-ridden ever since she heard the news.

Angrez Singh,a day labourer had spent more than Rs 20,000 on his wife’s pregnancy. “My son is now battling for life due to the burn injuries.”

Thirty-four year old Charanjit Kaur was blessed with a child after six years of marriage and was looking forward to the “dream of a happy family life.” But fate dealt her a cruel blow. “All those dreams are shattered. We are just back from the child’s cremation. Instead of taking the guilty to task,they are announcing monetary compensation.”

The tragedy could have been averted had there been hospital staff or a doctor on duty near the incubator at the time of the incident. Even the Principal of the College was reported to be in Amritsar without applying for leave. The Canteen owner at the hospital Parwinder Singh,who showed exemplary courage in rescuing the children from the burning ward,says that he heard the cries of a nurse and rushed inside.

“I could not see anything but carried the children along with another person. Later we found that everything had been reduced to ashes. I still shudder at the thought of that ghastly sight,” he said.