The Uttar Pradesh government suspended on Saturday the principal of a medical college where 23 infants died in 24 hours but denied that a snag in oxygen supply caused the deaths that shocked India and triggered a political blame game. State health minister Siddharth Nath Singh said oxygen supply was disrupted at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur for two hours on Thursday night but ruled it out as the reason for the tragedy. ENCEPHALITIS CASES IN INDIA Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) including Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is endemic in 15 states and Union Territories in India. Oxygen supply was restored to the hospital on Saturday night after the government partially paid its dues to a Lucknow-based company. Union health minister JP Nadda has sought a report from the state health department into the matter.

Source: Hindustan Times August 12, 2017 16:30 UTC