Indore Rat Bite Deaths: Madhya Pradesh HC Pulls Up Police Commissioner For Not Filing FIR

The Madhya Pradesh High Court took suo motu cognisance of two infants due to rat bites at a government hospital and asked the police why no FIR was lodged in the case. The case dates back to September

2 and 3, when two infants at Indore’s government-run Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital (MYH) died after being bitten by rats.

A Bench of Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Binod Kumar Dwivedi asked the Indore Police Commissioner why no official complaints were filed in the cases.

“The respondent No. 5 is also directed to file a reply explaining why an FIR has not been registered in the case of the death of two infants in the ICU of the Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Hospital, Indore,” the Court said in its order of September 15, according to Bar and Bench.

The court initially heard the matter on September 10 and observed that the prima facie points to gross negligence on the part of the hospital administration. The court also noted that no action was taken against any officers, doctors or staff responsible for such lapses.

The High Court had issued show cause notices to the Principal Secretary of the Public Health and Family Welfare Department, the Commissioner of Indore Division, the Collector of Indore, the Police Commissioner of Indore, and the Dean of MY Hospital.

Meanwhile, the respondents pointed out that MGM Medical College is struggling with staff shortages and inadequate building maintenance, which comes under the purview of the Public Works Department (PWD).

Earlier, in two separate incidents, two infants died at the hospital due to rat bites.

In one of the cases, a girl who had suffered rat bites on two fingers of her left hand while admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), died during treatment. Hospital authorities said the infant died from septicemia, a serious infection that spreads through the bloodstream.

Another baby girl, who was also bitten by rats in the same ward, died a day earlier. She, too, had pneumonia and other health complications.

Both infants were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the neonatal surgery department.