Infants' death sparks protest in Kashmir

Srinagar, May 17 (ANI): Locals in Jammu and Kashmir protested here on Thursday against increasing crib deaths due to negligence of the hospital authorities.

Reportedly, over 300 infants have died in the past five months in Srinagar, owing to medical negligence.

The state government has ordered a probe into the matter.

The protesters came out in droves and shouted anti-government slogans, urging the health minister to visit the hospital and threatened to file a First Information Report (FIR) against the hospital authorities.

"The Chief Minister had taken action but it's too late. If 385 deaths had occurred in any other state, the chief minister of that state would have resigned. The minister looking after the hospital should resign on moral grounds. The death of 385 children is a result of criminal negligence and I will lodge an FIR as a citizen of this state against the authority of the hospital," said Engineer Rasheed, a legislator.

The demonstrators said that the hospital faced acute shortage of professional doctors and other medical staff.

The infants were aged between 0 to1 years.

Enraged by the mishap, the parents of the deceased infants vandalised the hospital properties. (ANI)