Bhubaneswar, July 22: Health secretary P.K. Mohapatra had floated the “coincidence” theory and today a government-appointed probe team gave a clean chit to the doctors and paramedics of the VSS Medical College and Hospital, where nine newborns had died within 24 hours.

“We could not find any negligence in duty or treatment,” said the report that the state’s director of medical education and training, Dr Sunamani Bag, and two other members, submitted to the government this evening.

On receiving the report, health minister Damodar Rout also described the deaths as a “coincidence”.

“The babies were referred from various hospitals in Balangir, Bargarh and Sonepur districts at various dates and times. Their deaths did not occur at the same time. As they were all in a critical condition, their deaths occurred in quick succession,” Rout said.

The two other members of the fact-finding committee were paediatrics professor Dr Anil Mohanty from the Cuttack-based Sardar Vallabhbhai Post-Graduate Institute of Paediatrics and professor Sailaja Nandan Parida, neonatologist from the paediatrics department of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack.

The Opposition parties, however, were not satisfied with the inquiry report.

“If the report is correct, then the chief minister is responsible for the deaths as he has failed to protect the lives of these babies,” said senior Congress leader Narsingh Mishra.

Mishra said that the team had observed the babies were malnourished and underweight. Hence, it had admitted that the government had failed in implementing the central scheme to provide nutritious food to pregnant women.

Former state Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik urged Naveen to take strict measures in preventing neonatal deaths in the state.

BJP spokesperson Suresh Pujari said the report was not based on evidence. “The team did not record statements of the victims’ parents. How could it arrive at a conclusion without the post-mortem reports?” he asked.

Pujari alleged that the mission of the inquiry team was aimed at “bailing out the erring doctors”. He demanded an impartial probe into the deaths.

Earlier in the day, the Congress party led a dawn-to-dusk strike in Burla demanding a judicial probe into the deaths. In the state capital, BJP activists gheraoed the residence of Damodar Rout and sought his resignation.

Shops, business establishments, banks and educational institution remained closed in Burla. Vehicular movement was also disrupted. Buses and other vehicles kept off the roads.

Patients and their relatives suffered due to the strike. “We faced a lot of trouble in bringing my ailing wife to the hospital,” said Dhaneswar Sahu from Titlagarh.

Attendants of the patients also faced problems as hotels and restaurants remained closed. “We did not get food to eat,” said Anuj Pradhan, an attendant of a patient.

Shops and business establishments downed their shutters while schools and colleges in the area remain closed.

Additional reporting by Subrat Mohanty in Sambalpur