Tubectomy botch-up: Probe panel formed, action against drug company

BILASPUR: The director of a pharma company and his son were today arrested in a crackdown on manufacturers of medicines used at medical camps where botched sterilisation surgeries left 13 women dead in Chhattisgarh even as the state government constituted a single-member commission under retired judge Anita Jha to probe the cases.

Laparoscopic surgeon R K Gupta, who had performed sterilisation procedures on 83 women in one of those camps at Pendari village in Bilaspur district in a matter of few hours, was arrested yesterday.

Gupta, who is claimed to have performed 50,000 sterilisation surgeries in his career, and Bilaspur's Chief Medical and Health Officer R K Bhange, were later dismissed from service.

"Mahawar Pharma Pvt Ltd's director Ramesh Mahwar and his son Sumit have been arrested under section 420 for cheating, based on a complaint lodged by Food and Drug Administration authorities," Raipur SP O P Pal told PTI.

The FDA had yesterday sealed the manufacturing unit where substantial quantities of drugs had been found burnt.

The action followed registration of a case by Drug Inspector Tripti Jain last night after a preliminary examination of medicines.

FDA authorities also raided a manufacturing unit of Kavita Pharmaceuticals, which too had supplied medicines to the sterilisation camps and collected samples for tests.

Meanwhile, the state government has constituted a one-member Judicial Commission of Inquiry to probe the incidents of bungled surgeries which have claimed the lives of 13 young women so far and left 138 ill, several critically.

"A single-member probe commission has been constituted and retd. District and Sessions Judge Anita Jha has been entrusted with the responsibility of investigating the case of sterilisation surgeries at Sankri (Pendari), Gaurela, Pendra and Marwahi areas of Bilaspur district, where 13 women died and several fell critically ill after undergoing surgery," an official statement said.

The commission has been asked to submit its report within three months, it said.

Chief Minister Raman Singh had yesterday announced institution of a "transparent and unbiased" judicial probe into the tragedy.

The Chief Minister today rejected Congress demand for his resignation. "Will by resignation resolve this issue. This is no option. Congress is only trying to politicise the issue," he said.

The terms of reference of the probe include ascertaining whether the standard protocol for performance of such surgeries was followed and the quality of medicines and equipment used. It will also fix accountability and recommend measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.