Collector might have been forced to hide truth: SP on Gorakhpur hospital tragedy

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing controversy over the tragic death of children at Gorakhpur's BRD Medical College hospital, the Samajwadi Party on Thursday said that there is possibility that the collector may have been forced to say otherwise as everyone knows that the children died due to unavailability of oxygen.

"Everyone knows children died due to the unavailability of oxygen. The collector may have been pressurised to say otherwise. During Chief Minister Adityanath's earlier visit to the hospital, everyone kept him in the dark and no one informed him about the shortage of money to get proper oxygen. The government is trying to escape the accused. Those who are responsible for this - whether the Health Minister, DG Health, college principal, the DM or the company, should be booked and put behind bars," Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said.

According to sources, an inquiry report submitted by Gorakhpur District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela into the tragedy, in which more than 70 children have died, has found the company supplying oxygen guilty of negligence.

The district magistrate's report has reportedly blamed principal of oxygen supplying firm Pushpa Sales R K Mishra, and the Anaesthesia department's Dr Satish for the deaths.

Read: UP hospital tragedy: PIL seeks judicial probe into children deaths

The government as well as the district administration have straightaway denied the reports that have blamed disruption in oxygen supply for the deaths.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has blamed college prinicipal Rajiv Mishra, for laxity in performing his duty.

He also said that a team of top ministers was asked to determine if the death of the children was actually due to a disruption in oxygen supply at the hospital and assured to "not spare anyone found guilty".

Read: Sacked Dr Kafeel Khan made 'scapegoat': AIIMS docs on UP tragedy

Reportedly, 35 more deaths have been reported in the hospital in last two days.