SUM HOSPITAL OWNER HELD

Sum Hospital promoter Manoj Nayak was on Thursday morning arrested shortly after surrendering before Khandagiri police here.

Nayak surrendered at 3.30 am in connection with the fire mishap at the privately-run hospital which claimed 22 lives on Monday evening.

On Wednesday evening, the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate police had issued a lookout notice against Manoj Nayak and his wife Saswati Das after registering two separate first information reports filed by the Directorate of Fire Services and the Director of Medical Education and Training.

The FIRs charged the Sum Hospital authorities with willful negligence, poor patient management and poor evacuation of patients.

Manoj and his wife Saswati are trustees of Siksha O. Anusandhan Charitable Trust that runs Sum Hospital. The police is also looking for Saswati to arrest her, sources said. The cops have seized many documents from the main corporate office. Sources said Manoj was being interrogated by the police with regard to the mishap and violations of several protocols and statutory norms by Sum Hospital.