Seraikela-Kharsawan: The district administration in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharsawan has ordered a probe into the death of a woman and her newborn child at a Community Health Centre (CHC) in Rajnagar block, following allegations of medical negligence and power failure during delivery.
Deputy Commissioner Nitish Kumar Singh said a three-member committee has been constituted to investigate the incident. The panel is headed by Seraikela SDM Abhinav Prakash and includes Civil Surgeon Dr Saryu Prasad Singh and senior gynaecologist Dr Shivlal Kunkal. The team has been asked to submit its report by Monday evening.
The victim’s husband, Durga Charan Banra, alleged that his wife, Binita Banra, was forced to undergo delivery using the light from a mobile phone due to a power outage at the hospital. He claimed that despite multiple backup systems such as inverter, solar power and a diesel generator, all sources failed during the critical procedure.
Banra further accused doctors and nursing staff of negligence, stating that both his wife and their newborn son died during the delivery on Thursday night. The couple already had two daughters, and this was their third child.
Responding to the allegations, CHC in-charge Dr Shyam Soren said heavy rain and a thunderstorm had disrupted the main power supply. He added that the solar system developed technical faults, while the inverter and generator were already non-functional. He said requests for repairs had been made earlier.
According to the hospital’s preliminary report, the woman suffered excessive bleeding due to postpartum haemorrhage, which led to her death along with the newborn.
The incident has sparked political reactions, with BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Aditya Sahu criticising the state government and calling the healthcare system “insensitive” and “collapsed.”
Authorities said the probe will examine both the medical cause of death and the circumstances surrounding the alleged power failure.
