Panel to investigate Indian hospital fire that killed ten babies
Ten newborn babies died from burns and suffocation after a fire swept through a neonatal intensive care unit in northern India
Police officers examine the damaged neonatal intensive care unit after a fire broke out at the Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi. REUTERS/Stringer
THE government of Uttar Pradesh, India, has formed a four-member committee to investigate the fire at the children’s ward of a medical college in Jhansi. The tragic incident claimed the lives of 10 newborns, with initial reports suggesting that an electrical short circuit was the cause.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed the divisional commissioner of Jhansi, the fire department, and the deputy inspector general of police to submit a report on the incident within 12 hours.
Amid claims that the medical college had expired fire extinguishers, deputy chief minister Brijesh Pathak said that all firefighting equipment was in working condition and that a fire safety audit had been conducted in February, followed by a mock drill in June. The principal of the medical college, Dr Narendra Singh Sengar, dismissed the allegations as “baseless.”
The committee, led by the Director General of Medical Education and Training, has been tasked with determining the cause of the fire, investigating potential negligence, and submitting a report within seven days.
“Sixteen children are undergoing treatment in other wards of the medical college. The affected infants, aged three to four days, have been placed on warmers,” Pathak said.
The fire, which broke out at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), primarily affected premature infants. Although the blaze was extinguished, the atmosphere remains heavy with grief. Parents, many of them young mothers, gathered outside the ward, seeking solace in each other’s company.
Yakub Mansuri, who was sleeping outside the children’s ward when the fire broke out, managed to rescue several newborns by breaking through a window but tragically lost his two daughters. Santoshi, a mother who gave birth 11 days earlier, sat weeping on the ground, unable to come to terms with her loss.
Post-mortems were conducted on seven infants on Saturday (16), while autopsies for three others were delayed as their parents remain unidentified, according to Additional Superintendent of Police (City), Gyanendra Kumar Singh.
District magistrate Avinash Kumar said that the fire began around 10.45pm on Friday (15) in the NICU wards of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, one of the largest government hospitals in the Bundelkhand region, likely due to an electrical short circuit.
President Droupadi Murmu described the incident as “extremely heartbreaking.” Prime minister Narendra Modi announced financial aid for each bereaved family.
The tragedy has sparked a political blame game. With bypolls for nine assembly seats scheduled for 20 November, opposition parties have criticised the BJP government.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the administration of negligence, while party president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded a thorough investigation and legal action against those responsible.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav called for Rs 10 million (£99,000) in compensation for each affected family and urged the chief minister to prioritise healthcare improvements over election campaigns. “Gorakhpur should not be repeated,” he added.
Adityanath expressed his condolences and directed officials to provide every possible assistance to the victims. At a rally in Prayagraj, he attributed the fire to a short circuit, adding, “To ensure the safety of other children, we coordinated relief and rescue efforts throughout the night.”
Pathak said that a three-tier investigation has been initiated, involving the divisional commissioner, DIG, and the fire department. A magisterial inquiry has also been ordered.
Senior Superintendent of Police Sudha Singh reported that 16 injured children are receiving treatment and efforts are underway to account for all infants present in the NICU during the fire. She noted that some parents took their children home after the incident, complicating the verification process.
Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, the International Director of Parmarth Niketan and President of the Divine Shakti Foundation, has marked 25 years since taking Sanyas Diksha—formal monastic initiation—on the banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh.
Silver jubilee event at Parmarth Niketan
The silver jubilee celebration took place on the Shri Rama Katha stage at Parmarth Niketan and was attended by prominent Indian saints and spiritual leaders. Among them were:
Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, her Guru and initiator into Sanyas
Pujya Swami Ramdevji
Mahamandaleshwar Swami Rajendra Dasji
Mahamandaleshwar Swami Ravindra Puriji
Mahamandaleshwar Swami Harichetnanandji
Pujya Sant Shri Murlidharji
Pujya Acharya Balkrishanji
Dr Chinmaya Pandya ji
Shri Ajay Bhai ji
Their presence underscored the national and spiritual importance of the occasion.
An American journey into Indian spirituality
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Sadhviji holds a PhD in psychology from Stanford University. She embraced Sanatana Dharma and the path of renunciation over two decades ago, and has since remained in India, dedicating her life to spiritual service and humanitarian work.
The camp provided care to hundreds of pilgrims, sadhus and residents of the Himalayan regionParmarth Niketan
Over the years, she has become a respected voice for Indian spirituality on global platforms, speaking at the United Nations and international forums across six continents.
Global roles and spiritual outreach
Sadhviji holds several leadership positions in both spiritual and interfaith organisations:
International Director, Parmarth Niketan
Secretary-General, Global Interfaith WASH Alliance
President, Divine Shakti Foundation
Co-Chair, Multifaith Advisory Council to the UN
Co-President, Religions for Peace
Board Member, World Council of Religious Leaders
Steering Committee Member, PaRD (Partnership for Religion and Sustainable Development)
Director, International Yoga Festival, Parmarth Niketan
Her teachings, rooted in the Vedic tradition, are shared widely through books, satsangs, global lectures, and digital platforms. Her titles include Hollywood to the Himalayas and Come Home to Yourself.
Service through health and healing
To mark the occasion in the spirit of seva, a free multi-specialty medical camp was held in collaboration with Medanta Hospital. The camp provided care to hundreds of pilgrims, sadhus and residents of the Himalayan region.
Tributes from spiritual leaders
Several spiritual leaders offered their blessings and reflections on Sadhviji’s journey.
Pujya Swami Ramdevji said, “My spiritual sister Sadhvi Bhagawati is an embodiment of the divine Mother. She is a true testament to absolute devotion and dedication.”
Pujya Swami Rajendra Dasji remarked on the auspicious timing of the eventParmarth Niketan
Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji praised her efforts on the Encyclopedia of Hinduism, which he noted will soon be available digitally. “She has become a lighthouse of this wisdom for so many seekers,” he added.
Pujya Swami Rajendra Dasji remarked on the auspicious timing of the event, coinciding with Jyeshtha Purnima, Kabir Jayanti and Saryu Jayanti. “Her every breath and every moment is in the seva of the nation,” he said.
Sadhviji, speaking at the event, said, “I truly don’t feel that I live in Bharat but that Bharat lives in me. It is not how much we have in life, but how much we are able to share, that makes us truly wealthy. It is not the external sadhan but the sadhana that truly matters.”
Sadhviji’s journey from America to India represents more than a personal transformationParmarth Niketan
Pujya Sant Murlidharji described the day as Sadhviji’s “spiritual birthday”, while Acharya Balkrishnaji offered wishes for her continued health and seva.
Dr Chinmaya Pandya, representing the All World Gayatri Parivar (AWGP), quoted Kabir Das and emphasised the significance of gurus in spiritual life. “Today we honour the light of her Guru in her life,” he said.
A bridge between East and West
Sadhviji’s journey from America to India represents more than a personal transformation. Her life stands as a bridge between East and West, science and spirituality, renunciation and service.
The event was livestreamed on the official YouTube channels of Parmarth Niketan and Sadhviji from 11:30 AM IST. Watch here.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.
GRASSROOTS sports education platform Sportzprix last Saturday (7) announced the launch of a digital sports marketing master’s degree for Indian talent in collaboration with UAX Rafa Nadal University School in Spain.
The nine-month course, developed by UAX Rafa Nadal University School, combines global expertise with local insight through an India module co-created by Sportzprix. The online programme will be open to graduates, working professionals and sports entrepreneurs.
“I’ve always believed in the transformative power of sport – and when paired with education, its impact becomes truly enduring,” said tennis legend and mentor Nadal.
“Sport shapes character, resilience and ambition, but academic grounding gives it direction and depth.
“The UAX Rafa Nadal School of Sport excites me because it reflects this powerful synergy – combining education, specialisation and realworld relevance. With the incredible team behind this initiative, I’m confident we’ll equip future professionals with the skills and mindset the global sports industry demands.”
Prasad Mangipudi, co-founder and CEO of Sportzprix, said, “With India bidding for global events like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, and domestic leagues becoming bigger and more professional, the country is poised for a sports revolution.
“Shaping sports professionals in the field of marketing will play a central role in determining its future.
Keep ReadingShow less
William Dalrymple with his artist wife Olivia Fraser
EASTERN EYE is supporting this year’s Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) at the British Library next Friday (13) to Sunday (15) as its media partner.
“We are happy to do so as we aim to be ‘the voice of British Asians’, as we say on our masthead,” said Shailesh Solanki, executive editor of the newspaper.
JLF also seeks to attract all sections of the community in the UK.
Many of the speakers in this year’s event have featured in Eastern Eye in recent years.
For example, Sheela Banerjee won Eastern Eye’s Arts, Culture & Theatre Award (ACTA) in the non-fiction category last year for What’s in a Name: Friendship, Identity and History in Multicultural Britain.
Vaseem Khan, the first Asian chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association in 70 years, won an ACTA in the fiction category in 2018 for The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star.
The BBC’s Reeta Chakrabarti was named best presenter in ACTA this year. She was also shortlisted in the fiction category for her debut novel featuring schizophrenia, Finding Belle.
In the newly introduced category for crime fiction, the winner was Ram Murali, author of Death in the Air, which has been described as “a love letter to Agatha Christie”.
Eastern Eye has also written about Sushma Jansari, who has curated the British Museum’s new exhibition, Ancient India: Living traditions.
Among the headline speakers this year is Banu Mushtaq, whose book Heart Lamp, translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi, is the first short-story collection to win the International Booker Prize.
Ram Murali
Hanif Kureishi will be discussing his book, Shattered: “After a devastating fall in Rome, Hanif Kureishi was left immobile. From his hospital bed, he began to dictate powerful reflections on illness, identity, love, and writing. Shattered is the result: an odyssey of survival.”
JLF 2025 is bringing together some established authors from India, such as the MP Shashi Tharoor. His latest book, Our Living Constitution, “offers a masterful analysis of India’s constitutional framework, highlighting how it transcends political rhetoric to reflect the nation’s core ideals”, according to the festival organisers.
Although Tharoor belongs to the opposition Congress party in the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of parliament, he expressed strong support for Narendra Modi’s Operation Sindoor military action against Pakistan. He was picked to lead one of seven Indian government delegations explaining New Delhi’s foreign policy in countries around the world, including Panama, Guyana, Colombia, Brazil and the US.
Other authors from India include William Dalrymple, whose Eastern Eye lecture on The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World at the Bhavan in London last October was attended by nearly 250 people.
His son, Sam Dalrymple, will be speaking at JLF on his book, Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia. This was shortlisted for an ACTA this year in the history category.
JLF describes his book as “a sweeping narrative of how the once-unified Indian empire splintered into 12 modern nations. Drawing on rare archives, untranslated memoirs, and interviews across multiple languages, Dalrymple excavates five key partitions that reshaped the political, cultural, and emotional geography of the region. From boardroom deals and battlefield lines to personal stories of loss, resistance, and reinvention, the session reflects on how borders are drawn and the human cost they carry.”
His father, William, one of the founding directors of the festival, said: ”At JLF London at the British Library, we bring together some of the finest minds from across the world to explore the great questions of our time – from the rise of AI to the legacies of empire, from the pleasures of food and art to the complexities of geopolitics.
“This year’s edition reflects the festival’s commitment to rich, nuanced discourse, bridging cultures and offering a truly global literary experience.”
Namita Gokhale, a festival co-director – she will be talking about the re-publication of her novel, Paro, which came out in 1984 – commented: “At this volatile moment of change and transformation, we seek to make sense of our fractured world, and to explore and understand it through our shared stories.”
The éminence grise behind JLF is Sanjoy K Roy, managing director of Teamwork Arts, which describes itself as “a highly versatile production company with roots in the performing arts, social action and the corporate world”.
Sanjoy K Roy
He said: “We celebrate the power of literary thought to foster meaningful conversations and build bridges between cultures through our sessions at JLF London. The 12th edition of JLF London hosts diverse themes ranging from history and artificial intelligence to culture and geopolitics, food and art.”
Incidentally, Roy will be speaking to Bafta-winning playwright David Hare, celebrated as “the finest living British dramatist”.
Hare will provide “a peek into his remarkable career that has redefined contemporary theatre. Renowned for iconic works such as Skylight, Plenty and Racing Demon, Hare’s plays explore the intricacies of politics, power, and human relationships with unflinching honesty and wit. His innovative storytelling, blending sharp dialogue with profound moral inquiry, has left an indelible mark on stage and screen.”
Support for the festival was expressed by Jamie Andrews, the British Library’s director of public engagement: “The British Library looks after one of the world’s most significant south Asian collections, and international collaboration is at the heart of our mission as a library.”
The British Library had a message for Asians in the UK and typically Eastern Eye readers:
“We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone. Our shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future.
“Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things.
Sheela Banerjee’s award-winning book
“We have millions of books, and much more besides. Our London and Yorkshire sites hold collections ranging from newspapers and maps to sound recordings, patents, academic journals, as well as a copy of every UK domain website and blog.
“Our public spaces provide a place to research, to meet friends, to start up a new business or simply to get inspired by visiting our galleries and events. We work with partners and libraries across the UK and the world to make sure that as many people as possible have the chance to use and explore our collections, events and expertise. And we’re always open online, along with more and more of our digitised collection.”
After this year’s London Book Fair, Eastern Eye reported that the British Library republishes crime novels, which first came out decades ago.
This year, Shobaa De is likely to prove a big draw at JLF, which says that the celebrity writer and columnist “is unapologetically bold, fiercely candid, and never afraid to stir the pot. Her popular column, Politically Incorrect, and her bestseller novels like Socialite Evenings and the more recent Insatiable, have won her global acclaim. She has spent decades challenging conventions with her sharp wit and candid observations. Her upcoming book, The Sensualist, is a provocative look at passion, power, and the private lives of modern Indians. In an unfiltered conversation with Yasser Usman, De talks about writing, relationships, and the art of being unapologetically herself.”
Dr Deborah Swallow, an expert on Indian art, will take part in a session on “libraries, museums and archives”, and Asma Khan, founder of the restaurant Darjeeling Express, will talk about food.
THE London mayor, Sadiq Khan (right), was knighted by King Charles at Buckingham Palace in the capital on Tuesday (10).
Sir Sadiq, who was re-elected for a historic third term in May 2024, went down on one knee during the traditional ceremony, as the King dubbed him with a sword. The mayor was recognised in the monarch’s New Year honours list for his political and public service.
He has become the first person to receive this honour while serving in the role.
Speaking after the ceremony, Sir Sadiq said: “I am immensely proud to receive a knighthood from His Majesty the King.
“Growing up on a council estate in Tooting, I never could have imagined that I would one day receive this great honour while serving as the mayor of London. It is a truly humbling moment for myself and my family, and one that I hope inspires others to believe in the incredible opportunities that our great capital offers. I will forever be honoured to serve the city that I love and will continue to do all I can to build a fairer, safer, greener and more prosperous London for everyone.”
He revealed that he joked with the King about which of them was a bigger workaholic, adding that the monarch “was very chuffed that he managed to personally give me this honour”.
Sir Sadiq described the ceremony as “a great day for the family”, with his mother in attendance and emotional since the honour was announced.
“Obviously, from my background, being the son of immigrants, my parents coming here from Pakistan, it’s a big deal for us,” he said.
Before becoming mayor, Sir Sadiq worked as a human rights lawyer and served as Labour MP for Tooting from 2005.
He held various ministerial positions, including minister of state for transport, becoming the first Muslim to attend cabinet.
Dame Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, also received her damehood during the ceremony for political and public service.
COMMUNITY leaders and MPs have called for a review into what they said were “unduly lenient” sentences given to two teenagers convicted of killing 80-year-old Bhim Kohli.
The attorney-general has been asked to review the sentences handed down to a 15-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl – convicted of the manslaughter of Kohli in Franklin Park last September – given the racially aggravated nature of the crime.
Questions have been raised about how youth sentencing guidelines were applied in practice, despite the guidelines themselves being considered appropriate.
The boy was sentenced to seven years in custody for manslaughter at Leicester crown court last Thursday (5), while the girl was given a three-year youth rehabilitation order and made subject to a sixmonth curfew.
Mid Leicestershire MP Peter Bedford and Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire, have written to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) calling for the sentences to be looked at.
Kohli’s daughter, Susan, criticised the sentence outside the court last week. She said, “The two teenagers made a choice. The boy chose to attack my dad and the girl chose to film him being attacked. They knew what they were doing.
“I feel angry and disappointed that the sentences they both received do not reflect the severity of the crime they committed. I understand the judge has guidelines, but they have taken a life and as a result, our lives have been changed forever.”
Costa said he was “surprised” the judge “did not apply a statutory uplift for the racially aggravated factors in this case”.
“While it is right that youth sentencing guidelines evolve with our moral and social understanding, the troubling case of Kohli is not necessarily with the guidelines themselves, but with how they have been applied in practice,” he told Eastern Eye.
He said sentencing must serve justice for victims’ families and should offer young offenders a genuine path to rehabilitation, adding that the two were not mutually exclusive.
The court heard Kohli endured seven and-a-half minutes of sustained violence in the park. Prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu KC said the boy subjected Kohli to racial abuse before attacking him and striking him across the face with a flip-flop. The female defendant filmed the assault on her mobile phone while laughing and encouraging the violence.
Kohli suffered three broken ribs and multiple other fractures during the attack. However, the prosecution said the cause of death was a spinal cord injury resulting from a fractured spine.
Peter Bedford
Bedford said he will continue to fight for justice for the Kohli family. He added, “Kohli was a well-known and respected man in the local community, and was brutally attacked while walking his dog near his home.
“The announcement of the sentences that have been handed down to the murderers of Kholi is absolutely shocking. They are unduly lenient and I am utterly shocked and appalled by this news.
“The two young people who carried out these attacks will, in a few years, be able to continue with their lives, while the family of Mr Kholi serve a life sentence of pain and grief.”
He pledged to use all available powers to prevent the perpetrators from committing similar crimes.
“I will continue to explore all the options that are available to my office as the local MP, to ensure that these perpetrators who took a life, are never in a position to commit such brutal crimes again.”
Costa warned that if sentences appear lenient, public confidence in the justice system was undermined, which was why transparency in sentencing was crucial.
“To serve as a deterrent, sentences need to be timely, certain, and be perceived as serious by those at risk of offending. Deterrence alone will not reverse the rise of youth violence and antisocial behaviour. The wider system must also respond. For example, filming or encouraging violent acts, which occurred in Kohli’s case, amplify trauma, glorify cruelty, and desensitise those viewing the recording to the violence. Stronger penalties for this behaviour should be considered,” he added.
Justice Mark Turner, who handed down the sentences in a televised hearing from Leicester crown court, described the attack on Kohli as “wicked”.
Alberto Costa
In April, a jury convicted the boy, referred to as D1, for punching and kicking Kohli, and the girl, dubbed D2, for filming and encouraging the attack. The jury heard the boy was the principal offender as his actions resulted in Kohli’s death.
The evidence of the girl’s involvement showed she was part of the attack, in encouraging it and filming it, but there was not enough evidence to show she could have foreseen the terrible outcome of the boy’s violent conduct.
Experts and community leaders said that prevention begins long before sentencing, through support for youth services, early intervention, mentoring, and coordinated work to steer young people away from harm and towards opportunity.
Jaffer Kapasi OBE, community leader and consul general of Uganda, described the attack as shocking to both the victim’s family and society. “The violent attack and murder of an 80-year-old pensioner is shocking not only to the members of his family but also to our society as a whole,” Kapasi told Eastern Eye.
He called for a comprehensive review of the entire process from crime to sentencing, warning that the community living in the surrounding area would remain in a frightened state. Kapasi highlighted the need to examine both reported and unreported antisocial behaviour incidents.
“We certainly need to look at the subject of antisocial behaviour reported and not reported. Many questions and no immediate answer,” he said.
Kapasi argued that the government should intervene with additional focused resources, emphasising that education from a younger age should contribute towards reducing antisocial behaviour.
Dal Babu, former chief superintendent in the Metropolitan police, said, “I was extremely surprised that the horrific death of Kohli was not treated as racially motivated, despite the ‘P word’ being used during the vicious attack. I think the sentence of seven years for the boy and a three-year rehabilitation order for the girl will be challenged.”
It was evidence retrieved from the girl’s phone that showed harrowing footage of the attack on Kohli, which was presented to the jury. The boy admitted to witnesses that he had assaulted the elderly man and also wrote a letter to a social worker, admitting what he had done.
The CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] presented CCTV evidence of their actions before and after the attack, including audio of them joking about it to friends.
Barnie Choudhury, Eastern Eye’s editor-at-large, told BBC Radio Five Live last week, “It’s not just the British Asian community, it’s also the white communities in Leicester who are in shock and horror on several fronts following the sentencing.
“First of all, that an 80-year-old pensioner was kicked to death and was attacked brutally, and it was filmed for seven and-a-half minutes while he was being racially abused.”
He added, “The second thing is the comments of the judge that it wasn’t a racially motivated attack. The police ignored comments and complaints and did not investigate fully enough or take seriously enough the antisocial behaviour that was happening in that very park two weeks previously.”
Choudhury said even the victims’ commissioner, Baroness Newlove, said she was concerned by antisocial behaviour.
“Nothing changes because the police have no resources to actually tackle antisocial behaviour through no fault of their own,” he told the programme.