Jhansi fire tragedy: Congress demands termination of medical college principal

Ajay Rai, the state Congress chief, criticised the state government’s response, calling the ongoing investigation “an eyewash” and claiming that corruption at the college was the root cause of the tragedy.

Uttar Pradesh Congress has called for the termination and arrest of Dr Narendra Singh Sengar, the principal of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi, following a deadly fire on November 15 that claimed the lives of 18 children. The party also demanded the resignation of deputy chief minister and medical education minister Brajesh Pathak, accusing the government of mishandling the incident.

Congress also demanded the resignation of deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak (Sourced)

Ajay Rai, the state Congress chief, criticised the state government’s response, calling the ongoing investigation “an eyewash” and claiming that corruption at the college was the root cause of the tragedy. “The principal should be arrested, and the health minister should step down,” Rai said in a press statement on Wednesday, the same day the government removed Dr Sengar from his post and suspended three other staff members.

The fire initially killed 10 children, with eight more succumbing to their injuries in the following days. Rai said that the incident exposed deep-rooted corruption within the college and condemned the lack of progress in the investigation. “The government is shielding Dr Sengar, who has close ties to the corridors of power. Only junior staff have been held accountable, and no FIR has been filed yet,” he added. Rai had earlier visited Jhansi to assess the situation firsthand.

The Congress leader also compared the handling of the incident to previous actions by the state government, noting that bulldozers had been used to target petty offences in the past, yet no such swift action had been taken in this case.