Odisha fire: Four hospital officials arrested

The rescue operation at the hospital after the fire. Pic/AFP

Bhubaneswar: Four officials including the Superintendent of the private hospital, where a major fire claimed 20 lives, were arrested yesterday after the Odisha government filed two FIRs alleging negligence in conduct and safety against the healthcare facility.

Those arrested are the Superintendent of Sum Hospital, Pushpraj Samantsinghar, Electrical Maintenance Engineer Amulya Sahu, Fire Safety Officer Santosh Das and Junior Electrical Engineer Malay Sahu, said Commissioner of Police Y B Khurania.

Khurania said the officials were arrested on the basis of the preliminary inquiry report of the fire officer and the FIR filed by the Fire Services department at the Khandagiri police station where a case in this regard was registered yesterday.

The four were booked under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire and combustible materials) and 34 (common intent) of the IPC, Khurania said.

Meanwhile, Director General of Fire Service, Binay Behera submitted a report to the state government on the fire that ravaged parts of the private hospital on Monday night in which 20 people died and many were injured.

Rs 5 lakh to families
The authorities of the Siksha ‘O' Anusandhan University (SOU), which runs the Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital, suspended four of its staff members and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to victims' families.