Autopsy report rules out inmate’s death due to injury

CWC member visits shelter home

LUCKNOW: Four days after a oneyear-old inmate of a state-run shelter home-cum-adoption agency died in Civil Hospital, the postmortem examination report said the child died of illness.

Meanwhile, Child Welfare Committee (CWC) member Sudha Rani visited the shelter home on Wednesday after reports that more children were lodged than the capacity. She said, “The height of the cradle has been lowered and cushions have been put around so that children do not get hurt in any case.” On Thursday, a CWC panel would inspect the shelter home, she added.

District probation officer (DPO), Lucknow Sudhakar Sharan Pandey said two employees of the government shelter home for boys on Prag Narayan Road here were suspended while action was initiated against two others after a preliminary probe suggested negligence on their part leading to the death of the child. The child, who was lodged in the shelter about six months ago, died in Civil Hospital here after he was taken there following a fall from a cradle, the official said. As per the CCTV footage of the shelter home, the child fell from the cradle on Saturday night and the nurse just ignored the kid’s injuries instead of taking him to the shelter home doctor, said the DPO.

Radha Raman Singh, inspector, Hazratganj police station, said, “Post mortem examination report has not confirmed the death due to any injury.”

NOT THE FIRST CASE

In August, an 18-month-old inmate of the same shelter home had also died in the Civil Hospital. The staff had said that he was suffering from diarrhoea but the autopsy report had suggested a head injury. A magisterial probe in the case is underway.

UP governor Anandiben Patel had visited the shelter home in August and pointed out several issues that needed to be addressed. Over 30 children are lodged at the shelter, which has a capacity of just 10.