Gorakhpur tragedy: Children's deaths not due to oxygen snag, says Yogi

The Yogi Adityanath government on Saturday got into damage control mode and denied that the deaths of children in Gorakhpur's Baba Raghav Das Medical College were due to shortage of oxygen.

Blaming encephalitis - acute inflammation of the brain that's often cause by viral infection - for the tragedy, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered and a committee has been formed to look into the Gorakhpur incident.

Dr Rajiv Misra, the principal of BRD Medical College, was also suspended on Saturday for "negligent behaviour".And the Centre has rushed minister of state for health Anupriya Patel and deputed Union health secretary to take stock of the situation.

With the UP government drawing flak from all sides, including from a BJP MP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is himself monitoring the developments in Gorakhpur.BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj on Saturday said, "One or two deaths is different, but 30 deaths are genocide."

BJP MLC Devendra Pratap Singh also wrote a letter to the Chief Minister, urging him to visit his constituency and take stock of the situation.