Muzaffarpur AES cases: Suryakant Tiwari orders investigation against Harsh Vardhan, Mangal Pandey

Chief Judicial Magistrate, Suryakant Tiwari orders investigation against Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey, in a case of negligence registered against them, in connection with deaths of children in Muzaffarpur due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

The death toll due to AES touched 130 in Muzaffarpur on Sunday with 110 deaths reported at government-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) and 20 at Kejriwal Hospital.

As the death toll continued to rise due to AES, senior Resident Doctor deployed at SKMCH, Dr Bhimsen Kumar on Saturday was suspended over alleged negligence of duty.

In a recent incident, people took out a protest march on Sunday against the government's alleged apathy in tackling Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in the district.

They took out the march from Bhagwanpur chowk on National Highway-28 in Muzaffarpur. People put up the faces of all 40 Members of Parliament from Bihar in demonic forms to register their angst against the prevailing situation in the district.

The entire stretch of the highway nearby the town witnessed a traffic jam due to the protest.

The AES is a viral disease that causes flu-like symptoms such as high fever, vomiting and in extreme cases, brain dysfunction, seizure, and inflammation of heart and kidney.