Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Thursday ordered a judicial probe into the botched sterilization surgeries in Bilaspur district, which have resulted in the death of 13 women till now.
"We have decided to hold a judicial inquiry; none of the culprits will be spared. All the patients are being monitored constantly. Our priority is to provide best medical assistance," Singh said after visiting the Apollo Hospital here, where 42 women are currently being treated.
The Chief Minister also dismissed the calls for his resignation, saying it wasn't the solution to the problem.
Doctor R.K. Gupta, who conducted the sterilization surgeries on 85 women in Bilaspur, was taken into custody earlier today.
Gupta had been suspended on Tuesday on the orders of the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister after the incident came to light. He has blamed the state administration for the botch up, a television channel has reported. Placing the onus squarely on the state administration, he said that he was pressurized into meeting the surgery-related targets.
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More than 50 women, who were left in a critical state after undergoing sterilization operations, are undergoing treatment at four different hospitals in Bilaspur.
A team of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is in Bilaspur to attend to critical patients.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier spoken to Raman Singh and expressed his concern over the incident, and asked him to ensure a thorough investigation.
Out of the 85 women, who were operated upon at the government-run Nemi Chand hospital in the Pendari area of Bilaspur as part of a family planning camp, almost 55 suffered due to the sterilization surgery.
The government has ordered an investigation into the incident and announced a compensation of Rs. two lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased.
