Indore Rat Bite Incident: Protesting Father Claims, Kept In The Dark About Daughter’s Death At MYH

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The case of two newborns who died after being bitten by rats in the NICU of MY Hospital took another turn on Saturday. The parents of one of the deceased infants, who had been referred to MY Hospital from Dhar District, arrived in Indore with members of the tribal organisation Jai AdivasiYuva Shakti (JAYS) to demand justice for their daughter.

Devram, the baby’s father, said that he was kept in the dark about his child’s death. “We were told by the staff to go home and that they would call us. For five days, no one informed us. We only came to know when a local leader came to our house. Now, we have come to take our baby and demand justice,” he said.

The infant had been shifted to MY Hospital because her kidneys were not fully developed. According to the father, hospital staff repeatedly assured them they would be informed, but no communication was made.

JAYS activists joined the grieving parents in staging a protest outside the hospital. JAYS national president Lokesh Mujhalda accused the hospital administration of “gross negligence” and demanded immediate removal of the dean as well as compensation of Rs1 crore each for the families of both deceased infants. The organisation warned that protests at the hospital gate would continue until demands are met.

Congress MLA Pratap Grewal and Vipin Wankhade, Indore district Congress president also reached the protest site but faced allegations of pressuring the family. He denied the charges, stating he was only trying to secure justice for his constituents.

Additional collector RoshanRai assured that further action would follow after a full investigation. Meanwhile, dean Dr Arvind Ghanghoria confirmed that four staff members had been suspended and the pest control company’s contract was terminated.

The controversy deepened after Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Jitu Patwari alleged large-scale corruption in rat-control contracts, claiming that more than Rs13,000 was billed for catching a single rat. Patwari demanded health minister Rajendra Shukla’s resignation and filing of culpable homicide charges against MY Hospital officials.

“This is not just negligence but corruption that endangered innocent lives. If the Chief Minister has courage, he must seek the health minister’s resignation,” Patwari said.

National politics also weighed in, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi calling the incident “not an accident but a outright murder.” In a strongly worded statement, he wrote, “This horrific, inhuman, and insensitive tragedy shows how the government failed in its most basic duty. A mother lost her baby simply because the state abandoned public healthcare. For the poor, government hospitals have become death traps instead of life-saving institutions.”

Published on: Sunday, September 07, 2025, 02:07 AM IST