A MASSIVE fire broke out at a private children’s hospital in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar, leaving seven newborns dead, officials said on Sunday. The officials of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said the blaze broke out at the Baby Care New Born Hospital at around 11:30 pm on Saturday and soon spread to two other adjacent buildings. Police arrested the owner of the east Delhi children’s hospital where a fire killed seven newborns, officials said on Sunday. Dr Naveen Kichi had been on the run since the fire outbreak late on Saturday, they said. Delhi Police has booked him under sections 336 (act endangering life of personal safety of others) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC at Vivek Vihar police station. Sixteen fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze, Divisional Fire Officer Rajendra Atwal said.

 

Oxygen cylinders kept in the two-storey building exploded due to which the adjacent buildings were damaged, he said. Another fire official said two boutiques, a portion of IndusInd Bank operating from an adjacent building and a shop on the ground floor were also damaged besides an ambulance and a scooty parked outside the building. Condoling the death of children, President Droupadi Murmu prayed for strength to the bereaved parents. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said those responsible for negligence will not be spared. Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj also said strictest punishment will be given to those found negligent or involved in any wrongdoing. In a post on X, Kejriwal said the Government stood with those who lost their children in the fire incident, and added the administration was ensuring proper treatment to the injured. He said the reasons behind the fire were being probed and those found negligent will not be spared. DFS chief Atul Garg said 12 newborns were rescued from the medical facility but seven of them died. Five babies are undergoing treatment at another hospital, he said, adding some of them have received minor burn injuries.

 

The bodies have been shifted to the GTB Hospital for postmortem, police said. Deputy Commissioner of police (Shahdara) Surendra Choudhary said owner of the hospital Naveen Kichi has been booked under sections 336 (act endangering life of personal safety of others) and 304A (causing death by negligence) at Vivek Vihar police station. Choudhary said they are checking the fire NOC of the hospital and if it is found with out it, IPC sections may be added.