Short circuit or negligence? What died due to fire in Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur? Bharat News

Last update:October 06, 2025, 11:53 IST

Family members of the patients caught in the tragic fire have alleged that life was lost due to gross negligence by the hospital officials.

Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital’s Trauma Center in Jaipur caught fire late on Sunday nightClaiming the lives of many seriously sick patients. There was an explosion at the Neuro-Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at around 11:20 am, where 11 patients were undergoing treatment, while 13 others were admitted to the surrounding ward.

In -charge of Trauma Center, Dr. According to Anurag Dhakad, the fire is suspected to be due to a short circuit in the electrical system. He explained that most of the patients in the neuro ICU were in extremely serious conditions, many of them were comatoses, which created especially challenging withdrawal and existence efforts. “Our patients were already in a very important position, with vigilance to weak existence. When the fire produced toxic gases to fill the ward, their condition worsened,” Dr. Dhakad said.

Hospital staff and emergency respondents immediately ran to transfer patients to the ICU located on the lower floors of the building. However, despite their best efforts, many patients died due to smoke breathing, electric burning and their pre -existing medical conditions. Dr. Dhakad said, “We tried our best to shift them with our life-support systems, but unfortunately, we could not save them.”

Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph confirmed that an investigation has been initiated to determine the exact cause of the fire. While a short circuit seems to be the most possible reason, he said that the final conclusion would be prepared only after a detailed report from Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). The bodies of the deceased have been transferred to the hospital’s morchary, and post mortem examinations will be conducted after completing forensic and procedural formalities. Officials have assured that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure such tragedy.

‘Staff was the first to run’

Tension increased outside Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur as relatives of the deceased staged a protest near the trauma center, alleging that he had expressed anger and sorrow. The protesters claimed that fire fighting equipment inside the ICU was empty and non-functional. He further alleged that despite being cautious to the presence of smoke, the hospital staff neither made timely efforts to extinguish the flames nor to evacuate the seriously sick patients.

Many relatives claimed that they had seen smoke inside the intensive care unit and raised the alarm, but their concerns were separated by the hospital staff.

A distraught family member told PTI, “We paid attention to the smoke and immediately alerted the employees, but they did not pay attention. When the fire broke out, they ran away first. Now, no one is telling us anything about the situation of our patients,” a distraught family member told PTI.

Speaking to ANI, a relative of another victim alleged that there was no fire fighting system in the flames. “The ICU caught fire, but there was no tool to extinguish it – no fire extinguishers, no cylinder, no water to sink the flames. My mother was not alive. My mother did not survive,” the relative said, broke the ordinance.

Om Prakash, another relative of a patient admitted to the trauma center, said that despite smoking around 11:20 pm, his warnings became unheard. “I warned the doctors that it could cause discomfort for the patients, but by the time the smoke intensified, the doctors and the compounders had already run away. Only four to five patients were evacuated,” he told ANI.

Prakash said that his mother aunt’s son, who was recovering and expected to be discharged within a few days, lost his life in the fire. “He was doing better and was about to go home soon, but the fire took him away,” he said.

The allegations of negligence have intensified public anger, in which the state government ordered a thorough investigation into the security flaws and emergency preparations in the hospital.

What did the hospital say?

In an official statement, the SMS Hospital confirmed that the traumatic fire at its trauma center was caused by a short circuit in ICU No.1. At the time of the incident, 11 patients were admitted to the affected ICU. With the commencement of rescue efforts, everyone was immediately shifted inside the hospital in other wards and ICUs. However, despite the quick response of the medical team, six patients lost their lives sadly.

The hospital further clarified that its trauma center included four intensive care units (ICUs) with a total capacity of 46 beds, all of which were completely captured when the fire was set. In addition, the Trauma Center has 250 general ward beds, carrying the total bed capacity to 284 – each of which was occupied by patients at the time of the incident.

The statement emphasized that medical and emergency teams worked fast to incorporate fire and transfer patients to safe areas. Hospital officials have expressed deep grief over the loss of life and have assured full cooperation with ongoing investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire and to assess any possible security flaws.

Political line is displaced on allegations of negligence

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the incident, called it “extremely embarrassing and terrible”. He criticized the government for not disclosing the hideouts of the dead patients and said that the way the hospital staff left the patients during the fire was “unacceptable”. Gehlot demanded a judicial inquiry, stating that a regular inquiry would not give justice or expose the truth.

Talking to reporters, Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasara convicted the state government for the tragedy. He alleged that the hospital staff fled from the spot, leaving the patients behind in the ICU. Dotasara also accused the administration of hiding information about the deceased, claiming that the families were neither handed over to the bodies nor informed about their location. He said, “Even after ten hours of the incident, the Health Minister has not reached the hospital,” he said, called the government’s response insensitive and insufficient.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Gopal Sharma acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations made by the families of the victims, including delays in fire fighting and reported deserts of employees. He assured that a thorough investigation would be done to establish accountability. On the protests associated with Congress leaders, Sharma commented, “Congress is protesting with families.” In response to the demands of the resignation of the Health Minister, he said, “Who resigned during the Congress rule?”

Leader of the opposition Tikram Julie also attributed to the death of eight patients in Bhajan Lal Sharma -led government. Calling the non-functional fire equipment a case of “fatal negligence”, he demanded the immediate resignation of the Health Minister. “The government should answer for this,” Julie said, urging strict action against those people.

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