Gorakhpur: A court here on Friday issued non-bailable warrants against seven persons, including former in charge of AES ward Dr Kafeel Khan, in connection with the death of children at the BRD Medical College hospital.

The development comes a day after the former principal of the college Dr Rajiv Mishra and his medico-wife Purnima Shukla were sent in judicial custody for 14 days.

Additional Sessions Judge Shivanand Singh issued the NBW against seven of the nine persons named in the FIR, investigating officer C Abhishek Singh said.

The warrants were issued against in charge of AES ward Dr Kafeel Khan, anesthetist Dr Satish, pharmacist Gajanan Jaiswal, accountant Sudhir Pandey, assistant clerk Sanjay Kumar Tripathi and gas suppliers Uday Pratap Singh and Manish Bhandari.

Khan, who was the nodal officer, has already been removed from the post.

Following the deaths, mostly of infants, cases were registered under various sections of the IPC, Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Medical Council Act against nine persons, including the doctor couple.

Mishra and his wife, who were arrested from Kanpur on Tuesday by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), were produced before the judge who sent them to the Gorakhpur district jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

They were named in an FIR lodged by the UP government.

Mishra was suspended as principal of the medical college on August 12 after the deaths were reported. He resigned the same day taking moral responsibility.

There were allegations that the deaths happened due to disruption in oxygen supply as the vendor had not been paid for months.

While the Uttar Pradesh government vehemently denied that shortage of oxygen led to the deaths, a high-powered probe committee headed by Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar indicted Mishra and others of laxity and other charges.

Mishra was accused of sitting over on the issue of payments to the vendor supplying oxygen gas to the hospital.

The doctor couple was booked on the basis of the report submitted to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by the Chief Secretary.

Adityanath had formed the committee on August 12, a day after the deaths of children were reported at the hospital.

The two doctors were picked up from Kanpur, where they had reportedly gone to consult a lawyer.

The medical college attracted global attention when more than 60 children, mostly infants, died at the hospital within the span of a week last month. The issue also acquired a political colour with the opposition attacking the government over it.

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday sought a “detailed report” on the infrastructure and medical facilities at Gorakhpurs BRD Medical College.

It directed the Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh State Legal Services Authority to personally visit the medical college hospital and file a report along with photographs of various wards. PTI