‘Mysterious BRD fire guts files linked to oxygen case’

The district administration and the fire department launched separate probes into the fire that broke around 10am when employees had just started the day’s work. “Prima facie, it seems the fire was caused by short-circuit,” SP (North) Ganesh Saha said.

Arjumand Bano
TNN

Updated On Jan 9, 2018 at 09:01 AM IST

GORAKHPUR: A major fire gutted the principal’s office and adjacent record room of the state-run BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur on Monday. No casualty was reported from the hospital, where at least 30 infants died due to alleged oxygen disruption in August last year.

The district administration and the fire department launched separate probes into the fire that broke around 10am when employees had just started the day’s work. “Prima facie, it seems the fire was caused by short-circuit,” SP (North) Ganesh Saha said.

City fire service incharge D K Singh said, “Six fire tenders were pressed into service and the fire was controlled within an hour.” A hospital staff said important files, including those related to the oxygen case, have been gutted. However, there are official confirmation regarding it. “Surprisingly, the office had a fire extinguishing system but it didn’t work. The fire has destroyed many documents, including some related to the oxygen case,” he said. PTI quoted SP district chief Prahlad Yadav describing the fire as “mysterious”.

He suspected “it was an act of sabotage to destroy vital documents related to provision of oxygen to the hospital and files pertaining to its shortage in supply that led to deaths of so many children last year”. He also alleged that officials reached the spot late though their attention was drawn to the blaze as soon as flames were noticed by the people.