The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the state government in response to a petition filed by the father of a newborn girl who died last month after being bitten by rats at the government-run Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital (MYH) in Indore.
Justice Pranay Verma of the Indore bench sought replies within six weeks from the state government and several other respondents, including the superintendent of MYH, the dean of Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, and the director of HLL Infra Tech Services Limited, a central government enterprise.
The petition was filed by Devram, a resident of Dhar district, seeking ₹50 lakh in compensation for his daughter’s death and calling for an inquiry by a retired high court judge into the rat infestation at MYH. The court has fixed November 26 as the next date of hearing.
MYH, one of the largest government hospitals in Madhya Pradesh, is affiliated with Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College in Indore.
According to hospital officials, during the intervening night of August 31 and September 1, rats attacked Devram’s daughter and another newborn girl inside the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). Both infants, who were reportedly suffering from different congenital malformations, later died.
The hospital administration has claimed that the deaths were not caused by the rat bites but by the babies’ pre-existing serious health complications.
The incident has triggered strong reactions from tribal organisation Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS), which has demanded the suspension of Dr Arvind Ghanghoria, Dean of Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, and Dr Ashok Yadav, Superintendent of MYH. The organisation has also sought the registration of an FIR against them for culpable homicide, alleging gross negligence.
JAYS national president Lokesh Mujalda cited a preliminary state government report which stated that both the dean and the superintendent had “administratively failed” to maintain cleanliness at the hospital and control pest and rodent infestations.
