A social activist today filed a petition in a local court against Union health minister and Bihar health minister over deaths of large number of children due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

The social acivist Tamanna Hashmi, a resident of Sheikhpur village under Ahiyapur police station area in the district filed the petition in the court of chief judicial magistrate S K Tiwari against both under sections 308, 323 and 504 over deaths of children due to AES.

In the petition, Mr Hashmi alleged that the negligence on part of Union health minister and Bihar health minister was responsible for deaths of children due to AES. He said that 82 children had died due to AES till 16th June. No research on AES was done even though it had claimed hundreds of lives in the region since long. The court posted the matter for next hearing on June 24 next.