Delhi Hospital Owner and Doctor Arrested After Fire Kills 7 Newborns

The Delhi Police apprehended Dr. Naveen Khichi, owner of the Baby Care New Born hospital in East Delhi’s Vivek Vihar, following a devastating fire that killed seven newborn babies and injured five others. Khichi, who had been absconding after the incident, was detained and taken to the Vivek Vihar police station in Shahdara. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Surendra Choudhary stated that Khichi has been booked under sections 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to fire department officials, the blaze erupted at the hospital around 11:30 pm on Saturday and quickly spread to two neighboring buildings. Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief Atul Garg reported that 12 newborns were rescued from the facility, but seven of them succumbed to their injuries. The five surviving infants are receiving treatment for minor burns.

Garg described the operation as particularly challenging due to a series of cylinder explosions. “We made two teams. One team started firefighting because there was a blast of cylinders, we can say the chain of blast of cylinders. So, we had to save ourselves also. We started rescue operations for babies as well,” he said.

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Health Minister has ordered an investigation into the incident and announced compensation for the affected families. Eyewitnesses noted that locals and NGO members were the first responders, with some residents climbing the building from the back to rescue newborns.

Leaders, including President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, expressed their condolences and prayed for the strength of the bereaved parents. PM Modi announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 for each injured person. “In the wake of the fire tragedy at a hospital in Delhi, the Prime Minister has announced that an ex gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. Rs. 50,000 would be given to each of those injured,” the Prime Minister’s office posted on X.

Kejriwal vowed that those responsible for the negligence would face the strictest punishment. Meanwhile, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo confirmed that the commission has taken cognizance of the fire incident and is monitoring the situation.