1. A four-member committee will investigate the fire that broke out in the children’s ward of the Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi.

2. The committee was tasked with identifying the cause of the fire and determining whether any negligence was involved. It will also provide recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future. The government has asked for a report within seven days.

3. “Directions have been issued to launch a three-tiered inquiry into the incident. Jhansi Divisional Commissioner and Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) have been told to investigate the matter and the fire department will also probe. Along with this, directions have also been given for a magisterial inquiry into the incident,” Deputy Minister Brajesh Pathak told X.

4. According to Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar, the fire broke out around 10.45 pm on Friday in the neonatal wards of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, one of the largest government hospitals in the state’s Bundelkhand region, possibly due to an electrical short circuit.

5. As the rescue operation unfolded, many families held an anxious vigil, struggling to comprehend the scale of the tragedy that had befallen them.

6. Amid the allegation that the medical college had expired fire extinguishers, Mr. Pathak said all firefighting equipment in the college was completely fine and a fire safety audit was conducted in February and a drill in June. The head of the medical school, Dr Narendra Singh Sengar, also called the allegations “baseless”.

7. The post-mortem of seven children was conducted on Saturday, while the post-mortem of three could not be conducted as their parents were yet to be identified, Jhansi Additional Commissioner of Police (City) Gyanendra Kumar Singh told news agency PTI.

8. The incident has triggered a political blame game in the state, where polls will be held in nine Assembly seats on November 20. Opposition parties blamed the BJP government in the state and said the deaths raised serious questions about the negligence of the administration.

9. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said Yogi Adityanath should leave the election campaign and focus on improving the health and medical facilities of the state. He also demanded that Rs 1 crore be paid to all the bereaved families, adding that “Gorakhpur must not be repeated”.

10. President Droupadi Murmu called the news of the incident “extremely heartbreaking”, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an assistance of Rs 2 lakh for the families who lost a child. The Uttar Pradesh government has also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the affected families.

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