Mentally-ill boy falls from hospital building in Rohini, dies

An eight-year-old mentally challenged boy died today after allegedly falling from the fourth floor of a state government hospital building in northwest Delhi's Rohini area.
Devo was lodged at 'Asha Kiran', a government-run home for children with special needs, and was admitted to Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar hospital on Monday after he suffered an epileptic seizure, police said.
Police are now looking into whether the death was caused due to suspected negligence of the boy's caretaker or it was a suicide case.
An internal enquiry has also been initiated by the hospital authorities.
"Devo was kept in a ward on the fourth floor of the hospital. Since the hospital has no provision for providing a helper, a caretaker was allotted by Asha Kiran to look after the boy.

"Today morning, the boy left the ward saying he needed to visit the washroom. His body was later recovered by a sanitation worker from below the washroom window of the hospital at around 10.30 AM," a senior police official.

According to Dr Puneeta Mahajan, the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, they had instantly started looking out for the boy after he was reported missing.
"The injured boy was rushed to the hospital's emergency ward, where he died after sometime. The boy was mentally- challenged and was on anti-psychotic drugs. He came with an epileptic seizure and was undergoing treatment here," Mahajan said.

Police were subsequently informed and the body was sent for post-mortem.
Investigations so far have suggested that the boy had visited the washroom allegedly "unaccompanied" by his caretaker and fell through a window which had no glass panes, police said.
A senior hospital official said that they were unsure if the window pane was missing for long.
"We are looking into whether the death was due to suspected negligence or it was a suicide. Investigations are underway," the official said.