Belle Vue Clinic has set up an “independent” panel to probe the allegation that it had declared a living baby stillborn.

“The committee comprises cardio-thoracic surgeon Sadhan Roy, gynaecologist Subrata Chatterjee and paediatrician Tridib Banerjee,” said a spokesperson for the clinic.

Manas Das, the boy’s father, lodged a police complaint accusing the nursing home of negligence. The clinic denied the charge. “The hospital declared a living baby dead. We do not know where they had kept the baby all night,” said Das, a trader from Howrah.

The infant is on life-support at CMRI. “We need to keep him under observation for another 24 hours,” said hospital CEO Rupak Barua.

Manas said his wife Sangita had given birth to the boy at 1.20am on Tuesday. After the delivery, a few nurses told Sangita the baby was stillborn. They told Manas the same thing later. “But when a doctor examined the baby before writing the death certificate, he found its heart beating,” said Das. He said he would move court against the clinic.

Belle Vue sources said Gautam Khastgir, the doctor under whom Sangita was admitted, was not present during delivery.

Belle Vue CEO P. Tandon said: “It was a premature delivery. Initially, there were no signs of life. Since it was late and relatives weren’t around, the nurses informed the mother about the baby’s condition. The baby was kept in a warmer as the standard protocol. When the doctor examined the child after more than six hours, there were signs of life.”

Khastgir said: “The baby’s condition after birth is called suspended animation.”