Four SUM Hospital officials, including its superintendent’ were arrested by the Commissionerate police on charges of negligence in conduct and safety that caused of the major fire in the hospital on Monday evening.
The Khandagiri police arrested hospital superintendent Pusparaj Samantsinghara, fire safety officer Santosh Das and electrical maintenance officers Amulya Sahu and Malay Kumar Sahu.
Commissioner of Police YB Khurania said they all were booked under Sections 304, 308, 285 and 34 IPC.
The four were arrested on the basis of an FIR filed by Fire Officer (Central Circle) Bajendra Bhusan Das. More arrests are likely to follow.
In all, four separate FIRs, including two by Government agencies, were lodged on Tuesday against city-based IMS and SUM Hospital owner Manoj Ranjan Nayak and others for sheer negligence that led to loss of 20 lives, as so far confirmed, in a major fire that broke out on Monday evening at the hospital even as administrative inquiries into the mishap have also begun.
The FIRs were filed at the Khandagiri Police Station.
While the first FIR was filed by the Directorate of Fire Services (DFS), the second was lodged by the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET), the third was by the Chhatra Congress. The other FIR was lodged by rights activist Subhash Mohapatra.
All the FIRs blamed the hospital authorities for the mishap. “A case will be registered soon and action will be taken accordingly,” said zone ACP PK Patnaik.
The FIR filed Fire Officer (Central Circle) BB Das alleged negligence on the part of the hospital authorities and claimed that fire safety norms were violated.
It alleged that the fire extinguishing equipments and water storage as per fire safety guidelines issued to hospitals and clinical establishments by the fire service department in 2013 were inadequate.
Fire Services DG Binoy Kumar Behera submitted a report in this regard Chief Secretary AP Padhi on the day.
The second FIR was filed by DMET Joint Director Umakanta Satpathy which charged the hospital authorities on three aspects, wilful negligence, poor patient management and poor evacuation of patients.
It also accused the hospital of violating of provisions of the Odisha Clinic and Establishment Act, 1992.
The FIRs of the Chhatra Congress and rights activist Subhash Mohapatra too named Manoj Ranjan Nayak and many others of the hospital management.
The hospital is owned by Nayak, who started an engineering college in 2000 and later set up the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University, which runs the IMS and Sum Hospital. He also owns a TV news channel and an Odia daily newspaper.
On Monday evening, the carbon monoxide gas from the fire in the hospital engulfed through the air-conditioner ducts to the ICU and dialysis wards quickly asphyxiating the hapless patients. Most of the deaths took place due to suffocation and asphyxiation.
Meanwhile, the hospital authorities suspended four of its employees for dereliction in duties. The suspended officers include one fire officer, two engineers and one hospital manager.
Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) Central Division AB Ota also started his probe into the tragedy on Tuesday.