Kanpur newborn death: Nursing home registration cancelled, FIR filed against doctor

Authorities have cancelled the registration of a nursing home here in Bithoor where a newborn girl died after a fire allegedly broke out in a warmer machine inside its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), police said on Tuesday (February 10, 2026).

A case of criminal negligence was filed against the private facility’s management in the wake of the Sunday (February 8, 2026) incident, they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) S.M. Qasim Abidi said an FIR was registered at Bithoor Police Station on Monday (February 9, 2026) on the charge of causing death by negligence against an unidentified doctor of Raja Nursing home.

A preliminary inquiry ordered by District Magistrate (DM) Jitendra Pratap Singh revealed that the nursing home had been operating the NICU without mandatory approval from the Health Department.

“Running an NICU requires prior permission, specialised equipment and trained staff. The hospital neither sought approval nor informed the department. This negligence has cost a newborn her life,” a Health Department official said.

Following the findings, the chief medical officer (CMO) cancelled the hospital’s registration and ordered an immediate halt to all medical services. The NICU ward has already been sealed.

Additional Chief Medical Officer Amit Rastogi, who inspected the facility, said poor maintenance or staff negligence may have caused the warmer to malfunction.

Bithoor police conducted inquest proceedings and registered the case based on a complaint filed by the infant’s aunt, Ritu Nishad, a resident of Baqarganj.

According to hospital records and the family, the baby was delivered through a caesarean section around 4 p.m. on Sunday (February 8, 2026) and was shifted to the NICU for routine observation, while the mother was moved to the ward.

A few hours later, the warmer on which the infant had been placed allegedly caught fire, leaving the child with severe burns, leading to death.

The family alleged that hospital staff failed to promptly inform them about the incident.

“We kept asking to see the baby, but the staff kept stalling. We were told about the fire much later,” the infant’s father, Arun Nishad, said.

Angry relatives protested inside the hospital and damaged parts of the NICU. They also alleged that the management offered ₹2 lakh to settle the matter, a claim that has not been officially confirmed.