Dibrugarh, Dec. 1: The Assam health department has ordered a probe into the death of a pregnant woman in Dibrugarh district allegedly after being administered a tetanus toxoid injection at a subsidiary health centre.

Three other women, who were given similar injections as well as 15 children, also fell ill after being administered the diphtheria polio tetanus (DPT) shot at the same centre.

Though the incident occurred on November 19, the health department was informed only yesterday after the woman, Solanki Garh, died on Saturday.

The joint director of health, Dibrugarh district, Heramba Kumar Bharali, today said he has ordered an official inquiry into the death of the woman who was given the injection at the Gerekani subsidiary health centre under Rajgarh police outpost in the district.

Bharali said district immunisation officer Risheswar Dutta had been sent to Gerekani for an on-the-spot study of the situation. “I have asked him to submit a report immediately after collecting the batch numbers, date of manufacture and expiry of the injections,” Bharali said.

Rajgarh police outpost sub-inspector Pranjal Baruah said the police are waiting for the post-mortem report to register a case.

“At present, we are treating it as a case of unnatural death and investigating the matter,” the police officer said.

Solanki’s husband Gore Garh filed an FIR with the same outpost on Saturday, alleging that the toxoid had claimed the life of his wife who was six months pregnant.

Sources said limbs of the women and children who were administered the shots, swelled up and gangrene soon set in for lack of proper medical attention. A nurse had allegedly given the injections.

The Opposition parties, meanwhile, grabbed the opportunity to sling mud at the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government. Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) spokesman and legislator Sarbananda Sonowal today accused the chief minister and the state health department of playing with the lives of innocent people.

“First, it was the gram episode, then the pulse polio fiasco. Now, is it not evident enough how the health department functions?” Sonowal asked reporters here today.

He also demanded a through probe by the CBI in all these cases. “We have raised the matter in the Assembly several times but Gogoi had not paid any attention,” he said.