Days after 72 children die, UP CM calls for Janmashtami celebrations

Lucknow: Just a handful of days after a deadly tragedy in a Gorakhpur hospital, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked the state police to celebrate Janmashtami in a grand way.

As many as 72 children, including several newborns, have died in Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College Hospital since August 7 due to alleged disruption in the supply of liquid oxygen. The state government has, however, denied that the children died due to shortage of oxygen.

“Bhavvyata aur shaleenta se is baar manayen Janmashtami, Bhartiya sanskriti ke anusaar ho is varsh ka aayojan. (Celebrate Janmashtami in a grand and decent manner, and follow the Indian tradition),” ANI quoted Adityanath as saying on Monday.

He asked the police department to follow the traditions in the celebration of the festival.

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) has forwarded the chief minister's order to all police officers in different districts of the state.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has refused to take suo motu cognisance of deaths of children. Hearing a petition, which sought a probe into the incident by a Special Investigation Team, the bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud asked the petitioner to approach the Allahabad High Court with his grievances.

While the reports suggested that the children died due to oxygen shortage, the Adityanath-government has claimed that the deaths occurred due to acute encephalitis, rampant in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The media was creating “false propaganda” as not a single death had taken place due to oxygen shortage, Adityanath had said.