Former principal of BRD Medical College, Rajiv Mishra, who was booked in connection with the death of nearly 60 children at the state-run hospital last year, walked out of Gorakhpur district jail on July 9.


 

"Dr Rajiv Mishra has been freed from on July 9 evening," Jail Superintendent Ramdhani said. Dr Misra has been in jail for the last 10 months. Last week, the Supreme Court granted bail to Mishra in the oxygen supply case. Dr Mishra came out of jail with smiling face and hugged his son Purak Mishra and also many other doctors of BRD Medical College who came to welcome him. Dr Purak Mishra on this occasion said, "It is great moment and I am feeling relieved. I have full faith in the Judiciary. I am quite hopeful that my mother will also get bail and she will be freed soon."

Five other accused are still in jail including Dr Misra's wife, Dr Purnima Shukla. More than 60 children, mostly infants, had died at the hospital within a week in August 2017. There were allegations that the deaths occurred due to disruption in oxygen supply over unpaid bills to the vendor. The state government had vehemently denied that shortage of oxygen led to the deaths.

In its report submitted on August 23, 2017, the committee under the then UP Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar probing the hospital tragedy had recommended initiating criminal action against the then principal of the BRD Medical College Dr Rajiv Mishra, HoD Anaesthesia Paediatric department Dr Satish Kumar and in- charge of 100-bed AES ward Dr Kafeel Khan and Pushpa Sales.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had constituted the committee under the chief secretary on August 12, a day after deaths of children in the state-run hospital. On August 24, 2017 , an FIR was registered against nine persons, including Dr Mishra, in connection with the deaths of over 60 children there due to alleged lack of oxygen supply. The proprietors of M/s Pushpa Sales, the company responsible for the supply of liquid oxygen, were also named in the FIR.

The FIR was filed under various sections of IPC relating to criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide and relevant provisions of the Anti Corruption Act. Dr Mishra is the fourth person to get bail in the Gorakhpur hospital tragedy after Manish Bhandari, the oxygen supplier to BRD Medical College, Dr Kafeel Khan and Dr Satish Kumar.