Dibrugarh, Sept. 27: The death of a one-and-a-half month-old girl, allegedly after being administered polio drops and BCG vaccine, has kicked up a storm at Panitola in Dibrugarh district.

The infant’s father filed an FIR with Chabua police station today, alleging that his daughter, Mondira Rai, had died because of the negligence of doctors and health workers.

In his complaint, Giri Bahadur Rai, a resident of Gereki Nepaligaon, stated that his daughter was administered both polio drops and BCG shots by health workers at the Gereki primary health sub-centre on Monday after which she developed high fever.

“Our area is located in the interiors. But I waited for a day before taking Mondira to a hospital since the doctors and health workers had said that some children develop fever after the doses. When the temperature showed no sign of coming down, I took her to the Panitola primary health centre on Wednesday. She died while returning from the centre. It is only due to the negligence of the doctors and health workers that my child died,” Rai alleged.

Chabua police have registered a case of unnatural death (case number 37/07).

Local residents gheraoed a team of doctors and health department officials who went to the area to probe the death. They had to be rescued by Chabua police.

The office of the Dibrugarh joint director of health services has asked two of its doctors, Tulika Goswami and Diganta Goswami, to conduct an inquiry and submit a report at the earliest.

The polio programme is being conducted as part of the immunisation week under the National Rural Health Mission.

Mondira’s parents and local residents have demanded strict action against the errant doctors and health workers.

AASU assistant general secretary Rituparna Baruah said: “We will a launch an agitation if the health department does not come clean on the issue and punish the guilty. The government has no right to play with the lives of children.”