Bhopal: In the probe over the death of a three-year-old child at AIIMS Bhopal, police on Thursday registered an FIR against two nursing officers after an internal inquiry reportedly found gross negligence in handling a hazardous chemical, leading to the child’s death during treatment.The case pertains to the death of Sarthak Yadav, 3, a resident of Korja village in Sagar district’s Bina tehsil, who was admitted to the paediatric ward of AIIMS Bhopal on Dec 15, 2025, for treatment of fever while suffering from B-ALL (B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). He died on Dec 17 during treatment.According to the FIR, a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy procedure was scheduled for the child on Dec 16. As formalin, a chemical used for preserving biopsy samples, was required for the procedure, nursing officer Anuka Gujarati allegedly filled a 10-ml syringe with formalin and labelled it. However, after the procedure was deferred, the syringe was allegedly left on the bedside locker instead of being safely disposed of or stored as per protocol.Police said that on the morning of Dec 17, nursing officer Madhubala Sharma allegedly picked up the syringe and used its contents to flush the child’s blocked IV line without verifying the label or contents. The FIR states that the child’s father, Siddharth Yadav, repeatedly warned the nurse that the syringe did not contain IV fluid and should not be administered without consulting doctors.After the nurse allegedly injected the chemical through the IV line, the child immediately became unconscious and was shifted to the PICU, where doctors attempted resuscitation. He was declared dead at 8.45 am.During the inquiry, the AIIMS probe committee reportedly concluded that the child’s death was directly linked to the administration of formalin through the IV line.Based on the findings, police registered a case against Madhubala Sharma under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (causing death by negligence) and against Anuka Gujarati under Section 286 BNS (negligent handling of poisonous substances).
