The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed for personal appearance of the Health and Family Welfare Secretary for not complying with its order despite repeated notices/reminders in connection with a case relating to the death of a newborn baby as his parents failed to give bribe to ambulance employees in Baleswar district last year.
In its latest order on Saturday, the NHRC directed its Registry to issue summons to the Health and Family Welfare Secretary under Section 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 to appear before the commission on August 12 with requisite report in the matter.
Angul-based Human Rights Watch Secretary Sangita Swain had moved the NHRC last year alleging that on September 30, 2015 the new born baby of Gitanjali Sakhua and Narahari Sankhua, a resident of Soro in Balasore district died inside a Government ambulance as the ambulance staff refused to provide oxygen to the sick baby after the parents expressed their inability to give `3,000 bribe to the them.
“The parents were taking the baby to Cuttack Sishu Bhavan. When the condition of the baby deteriorated the parents appealed to the staff to provide oxygen. But the staffs present inside the ambulance did not so and demanded `3,000 bribe,” alleged Swain.
He urged the commission to direct the authorities to give `20 lakh to the kin of the deceased.