A 34-year-old woman, Neha Khare, died under suspicious circumstances late Sunday night at Krishnani Hospital in Bairagarh, a day after delivering her second child via cesarean section. Her family has accused the hospital of medical negligence and coercion, alleging she was forcibly placed on a ventilator despite being alert and communicative.
Neha, a resident of Bapu Colony in Jahangirabad, was the wife of Shanu Khare, a daily wage worker with the Municipal Corporation. She was admitted to the hospital on June 12 and delivered a baby girl on June 13. The newborn, reportedly weak, was transferred to a Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) at another facility.
According to the family, Neha’s health suddenly deteriorated on June 15. Her brother Vishal claimed she was in stable condition and speaking normally just hours before her death. “She told us she was feeling fine and didn’t want to be put on a ventilator,” he said. Another family member, Vikas, said Neha had called him earlier that day, asking about her newborn and requesting to see her. By the time he reached the hospital, she had already been placed on the ventilator and was later declared dead.
The family alleges the hospital staff misbehaved with them when they raised concerns and tried to document events on video. A video showing a confrontation between the family and hospital staff has surfaced online. The family claims they were threatened and warned against filming, prompting them to submit the footage to Bairagarh police as evidence.
Hospital director Dr Lalkumar Krishnani denied the allegations. He stated that Neha had a history of diabetes and that her oxygen saturation levels dropped following the cesarean delivery, requiring ventilation. “She was our regular patient, and her first child was also born here. We tried our best to save her,” he said. He also dismissed the family's claims of misconduct as baseless.
Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Manish Sharma said an investigation would be initiated upon receipt of a formal complaint. “We will examine the matter thoroughly, and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings,” he said.
Bairagarh Police Station in-charge Ashok Gautam confirmed that a case has been registered and that an investigation is underway. Neha’s body was handed over to the family after a postmortem on Monday. Further action will be taken based on the postmortem report.