By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, October 20, 2016 : Police on Thursday arrested SUM Hospital owner Manoj Nayak after he surrendered before Khandagiri Police Station in connection with the fire mishap at the hospital which claimed 21 lives on Monday evening.

Police is understood to have registered cases under Sections 304, 308, 285 and 34 of the IPC against Nayak.

The state police chief, K B Singh said, “Manoj Nayak was arrested after he surrendered before the Khandagiri police.”

“Police will take him on remand for further interrogation. Besides, police will also grill Saswati Das, wife of Nayak. She is likely to be arrested if found guilty,” Singh added.

The sub divisional judicial magistrate has allowed police to take Nayak on two-day remand.

Talking on the financial transaction of the SUM Hospital, the DGP, said, “We will also grill the three trustees of the hospital about the financial transactions.”

Police commissioner YB Khurania, said, “Police is interrogating Manoj Nayak after his arrest. We will record the statements of all the trustees of the hospital soon.”

“With the arrest of Nayak, the number of arrested persons reached five today and the count is likely to increase,” Khurania added.

On Wednesday, the Commissionerate Police issued a look out notice against Manoj Nayak and his wife Saswati Das, both of whom are the trustees of the Shiksha O’ Anusandhan Charitable Trust.

The circular has been issued to prevent Manoj and his wife from moving out of country. Moreover, a letter has also been sent to the Union Home ministry in this regard.

Besides, police had raided the office of Manoj yesterday and seized important documents. However, during the raid on his house at Dharma Vihar, police found the house locked and the mobile phone of Manoj switched off.

It may be recalled here that 19 patients undergoing treatment at the SUM Hospital had died due to asphyxiation owing to the massive fire on Monday that originated from the dialysis ward on the first floor and spread to the ICU on the same floor.

In the incident, over 100 others sustained injuries and were shifted to various government and private hospitals. With three more relocated patients succumbing, the death toll due to the mishap has risen to 21.

The Commissionerate police had arrested four officials of Sum Hospital– Medical Superintendent Puspa Raj Samantasinghar, Amulya Sahu, Electrical Maintenance Engineer, Fire Safety Officer Santosh Das and Junior Engineer (Electrical Maintenance) Malaya Kumar Sahu– on the basis of the FIR lodged by the Directorate of Fire Services.

In the wake of the deadly fire tragedy in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, an activist today moved the Orissa High Court, seeking judicial intervention for fire safety audit in all high-rise commercial establishments in the state.

“The petitioner has urged that the respondents should ensure that proper fire fighting measures are in place at commercial establishments like flats, shopping malls, hotels, cinema theatres, marriage mandaps, community halls, hospitals and nursing homes,” said advocate Arun Kumar Budhia, who moved a PIL in this regard.