Thiruvananthapuram, May 4: Surjya Kanta Mishra had better be careful.

A case has been slapped on the health minister of Kerala, a state ruled by a CPM-led front, over the death of 101 newborns at a government hospital since January.

The crackdown should ring alarm bells for Bengal health minister Mishra, in whose state such deaths are not a rare occurrence. In November last year, 22 babies had died in BC Roy Hospital over 72 hours.

Police have registered a case against Kerala health minister P.K. Sreemathy and six hospital employees in connection with the death of three babies at Sree Avittam Tirunal Hospital on May 1 and 2.

The FIR says the minister and the officials had delayed acting on a report on infection in the labour room.

The police action followed a public interest petition by state BJP leader Vikraman Nair. The plea, filed in the court of additional chief judicial magistrate S. Gopalakrishnan, alleges that the deaths resulting from labour room infection showed the indifference of the hospital authorities and the state government.

The officials have been blamed for failing to control the infection and keeping senior officials in the dark about the deaths.

In Delhi, Union minister of state for women and child development Renuka Chowdhury said a central team would travel to Kerala, and she would visit the hospital.

Faced with growing demands for her resignation, Sreemathy had said: “If I heed the Opposition’s demand to quit, there will be time left only for that.”

Chowdhury said Sreemathy’s remarks were unfortunate.

Chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan rejected demands for the resignation.

As the controversy rages, Sreemathy has sent instructions to medical college hospitals asking them to carry out clean-up and sterilisation “on a war footing”.

According to state Congress president Ramesh Chennithala, Sree Avittam Tirunal Hospital superintendent Raj Mohan had told Sreemathy about the infection at a meeting over a month ago.

The Congress leader blamed the minister for not acting in time.

Chennithala has demanded an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for parents who lost their newborns to infection in the hospital.

Authorities admitted septic conditions in the hospital’s operation theatre, but insisted remedial steps have been taken and that there was no cause for panic.