New Delhi:
The owner of a Delhi hospital where seven babies were killed in a fire has been arrested, the Delhi Police said. Another doctor who was on duty when the fire broke out has also been arrested.
Dr Naveen Khichi, the owner of New Born Baby Care Hospital in East Delhi’s Vivek Vihar, had been on the run since Saturday night after the fire broke out.
The police said he runs many other hospitals in Delhi. Dr Akash, 25, was the one who was on duty on Saturday night when the fire broke out.
Oxygen cylinders kept in the two-storey building exploded due to which the adjacent buildings were damaged, the fire department had said.
Firefighters also faced challenges during the rescue operation as the lane was narrow, with overhead wires.
“Several people had gathered at the spot and were recording videos. Many of them came close to those trying to douse the flames,” a fire department officer said. “Another challenge we faced was there was no water source. Low-hanging electrical wires were a big problem,” the officer added.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said the commission’s team will visit the hospital to investigate the incident.
People who saw the huge fire engulf the children’s hospital had scaled the compound wall, and climbed from the rear side of the building to rescue newborns, eyewitnesses told news agency PTI.
The eyewitnesses said local residents and members of a non-profit, Shaheed Seva Dal, were the first to rush to help.
Ravi Gupta, a resident, said locals were the first to enter the burning hospital and bring out as many babies as they could.
