/theprobe/media/media_files/2025/01/24/sATsVeszs9qhaMwJJjUy.jpg)
Medical Negligence: MCG Authorities' Inaction Blamed for Patient Death | Photo courtesy: Special arrangement
Medical Negligence: MCG Authorities In The Dock
22-year-old Simran Chhabra walked into a hospital in Gurugram with nothing more than mild symptoms of fever. Within 40 minutes of her arrival at the hospital, she died—a tragedy that has left her family shattered and searching for answers. Now, it has come to light that the hospital, whose alleged medical negligence led to Simran’s death, should never even have existed. The Probe reveals startling findings from its investigation.
On November 28, 2024, The Probe reported on the tragic death of 22-year-old Simran Chhabra, who lost her life after being administered an injection at Jagdamba Medical Centre in Gurugram. The incident occurred on January 21, 2023, when Simran, accompanied by her brother, visited the hospital with minor symptoms of fever. Shortly after receiving an injection, Simran fell unconscious. She was rushed to another hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
/theprobe/media/media_files/2025/01/24/cdZ5Fha3ymN0DB3UMsV0.jpg)
We Have a Request for You: Keep Our Journalism Alive
We are a small, dedicated team at The Probe, committed to in-depth, slow journalism that dives deeper than daily headlines. We can't sustain our vital work without your support. Please consider contributing to our social impact projects: Support Us or Become a Member of The Probe. Even your smallest support will help us keep our journalism alive.
In our earlier report, The Probe detailed the sequence of events that led to Simran’s untimely demise. Speaking to our team, Simran’s grieving family accused the hospital of gross medical negligence. They have made a series of alarming allegations, including that Simran’s viscera samples were not sent for forensic analysis, critical CCTV footage was not collected by the police, and instead of investigating the hospital’s role, an FIR was inexplicably filed against Simran’s family.
The Probe has now uncovered even more troubling details about Jagdmba Medical Centre. Records show that the hospital’s construction was unauthorised. Back in 2021—two years before Simran’s fatal visit—the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) was aware of the irregularities. In fact, the MCG had issued a showcause notice to
Medical Negligence: MCG Authorities In The Dock
22-year-old Simran Chhabra walked into a hospital in Gurugram with nothing more than mild symptoms of fever. Within 40 minutes of her arrival at the hospital, she died—a tragedy that has left her family shattered and searching for answers. Now, it has come to light that the hospital, whose alleged medical negligence led to Simran’s death, should never even have existed. The Probe reveals startling findings from its investigation.
On November 28, 2024, The Probe reported on the tragic death of 22-year-old Simran Chhabra, who lost her life after being administered an injection at Jagdamba Medical Centre in Gurugram. The incident occurred on January 21, 2023, when Simran, accompanied by her brother, visited the hospital with minor symptoms of fever. Shortly after receiving an injection, Simran fell unconscious. She was rushed to another hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
/theprobe/media/media_files/2025/01/24/cdZ5Fha3ymN0DB3UMsV0.jpg)
We Have a Request for You: Keep Our Journalism Alive
We are a small, dedicated team at The Probe, committed to in-depth, slow journalism that dives deeper than daily headlines. We can't sustain our vital work without your support. Please consider contributing to our social impact projects: Support Us or Become a Member of The Probe. Even your smallest support will help us keep our journalism alive.
In our earlier report, The Probe detailed the sequence of events that led to Simran’s untimely demise. Speaking to our team, Simran’s grieving family accused the hospital of gross medical negligence. They have made a series of alarming allegations, including that Simran’s viscera samples were not sent for forensic analysis, critical CCTV footage was not collected by the police, and instead of investigating the hospital’s role, an FIR was inexplicably filed against Simran’s family.
The Probe has now uncovered even more troubling details about Jagdmba Medical Centre. Records show that the hospital’s construction was unauthorised. Back in 2021—two years before Simran’s fatal visit—the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) was aware of the irregularities. In fact, the MCG had issued a showcause notice to the hospital authorities in 2021, questioning why the unauthorised building should not be demolished.
Simran’s family is now questioning the inaction of the MCG, alleging that had the authorities taken swift action to shut down the illegal hospital in 2021, Simran would still be alive today.
Stay informed with The Probe. Get original stories, exclusive insights, and thoughtful, in-depth analysis delivered straight to your phone. Join our WhatsApp channel now! Click the link to join: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaXEzAk90x2otXl7Lo0L
“Have the Authorities' Inner Souls Died That They Have Decided to Side with Perpetrators?”
As we probed further, glaring lapses by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) in handling the hospital's alleged illegal operations emerged. After filing a Right to Information (RTI) request with the MCG, Sourabh Chhabra initially received no response. It was only after a first appeal that shocking details came to light.
Documents obtained through the RTI revealed that Jagdmba Medical Centre was being operated illegally on a property approved for residential use. The hospital had initially also lacked essential clearances, including a fire NOC, making its operations blatantly unlawful. MCG authorities had even issued a showcause notice to the hospital in 2021, questioning why the illegal structure should not be demolished. Yet, despite these red flags, the hospital continued to operate unchecked for years.
Simran’s brother, Sourabh, expressed his anguish, saying, “If the MCG had demolished the hospital in 2021 as they were supposed to, the hospital wouldn’t have existed, and my sister wouldn’t have gone there. She would still be alive today. While medical negligence killed her, the real culprit is the MCG. Why was the hospital allowed to function for so long despite all the notices and orders?”
Sourabh shared his frustrating ordeal with the authorities. “In November 2024, I contacted the Joint Commissioner of the municipal corporation to follow up on my complaint. I was told the hospital would be given three days to vacate the premises. But when we went to the corporation office on the day the sealing was supposed to take place, it seemed like no one was inclined to act. The hospital wasn’t sealed. Officials claimed they couldn’t proceed because there were patients inside. Isn’t it strange? There was a show cause notice, a sealing notice, and a demolition order, yet no action was taken. Have the authorities’ inner souls died that they decided to side with the perpetrators?”
Unexecuted Demolition Order: MCG Officials Deflect Responsibility for Inaction
The Probe has accessed critical RTI documents regarding Jagdmba Medical Centre, which reveal that the hospital was operating on unauthorised premises. According to the response from the State Assistant Public Information Officer cum the Chief Town Planner of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, the building was originally sanctioned for 'residential use only'—a key detail indicating the hospital's illegal operations.
/theprobe/media/media_files/2025/01/24/wN15WUKXfXtSc2frvaLz.jpg)
We have also accessed the show cause notice issued to Jagdmba Medical Centre on May 21, 2021, instructing the hospital to cease unauthorised construction and appear before the Joint Commissioner-1. However, despite these clear orders, the hospital continued its operations, prompting a demolition order from MCG on July 10, 2021. This order has not been carried out even now, more than three years later.
In response to these revelations, The Probe reached out to Mukesh Kumar Ahuja, the then Commissioner of MCG, who signed the demolition order. Ahuja, when asked why the order was not executed during his tenure, refused to comment on his failure to enforce the order. Instead, he shifted the responsibility, stating, “This order was issued by the Joint Commissioner. If a demolition order was issued, it must be executed. You will have to figure out from the current Commissioner why this order has not been executed.”
Further deflecting blame, he added, “It should never happen that an order from 2021 gets left unexecuted till now. If an order gets executed after 1.5 months or so, it is understandable. But a 3-4 year delay is unacceptable.” The pressing question remains: What was Ahuja doing during his tenure that allowed such a delay in enforcing a legal order?
The Probe also spoke to Jitender Kumar, the Joint Commissioner who issued the demolition order. When asked about the inaction, he further deflected responsibility, stating, “Joint Commissioners issue orders, but the execution has to be done by the SDO. Only the SDO can tell you why he did not execute the order. It is the responsibility of the SDO to execute the orders.”
This raises a fundamental question: When a Sub-Divisional Officer fails to execute an order, why did the Joint Commissioner not take further steps to ensure the order was carried out, or escalate the matter to higher authorities for action?
MCG's Sealing Procedure Stalled in 2024: Simran's Family Calls it ‘Bureaucratic Sabotage’
The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram appears to have once again failed to enforce its own orders, allowing the Jagdmba Medical Centre to operate despite multiple directives. On November 25, 2024, MCG issued a sealing order instructing the hospital authorities to vacate the premises within three days. However, as The Probe uncovered, the sealing was not carried out, with the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Hari Prakash allegedly responsible for the inaction.
According to Simran's family, the SDO arrived at the hospital premises to execute the sealing but later returned without taking any action. The family claims that Prakash gave excuses, stating that the hospital could not be sealed because there were patients inside at the time. The question arises: Was this an excuse to delay the sealing, or a deliberate attempt to sidestep the law?
In an effort to get answers, The Probe contacted SDO Hari Prakash. Initially, he responded to calls on two occasions but soon stopped communicating. In the first conversation, Prakash claimed he was attending a family function. The second time, he stated, “I am in the hospital and cannot talk right now”. When pressed for further information, he said, “I can’t talk at all because I am extremely unwell and have come to the hospital.” Despite multiple follow-up attempts, Prakash never responded again.
The situation remains puzzling, as the hospital continues its operations despite multiple orders issued by MCG against it. With no legal barrier to the sealing process, it is clear that the continued operation of Jagdmba Medical Centre is a result of the refusal of the corporation authorities to enforce their own orders.
The Probe also reached out to MCG Commissioner Ashok Kumar Garg for an explanation. Garg stated, “This matter has not come to my notice, so far. I will find out about it. You can call me back on Monday.” However, despite numerous attempts since, Garg has not responded to any follow-up inquiries, leaving the question of accountability unanswered.
Fire Safety Compromised
For years, the safety of both patients and staff at Jagdmba Medical Centre has been in jeopardy due to the absence of fire safety systems and the lack of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department. According to an RTI response received by Sourabh Chhabra, the Fire and Emergency Services Department in Sector 29, Gurugram, confirmed that the hospital failed to comply with essential fire safety regulations.
The department’s investigation revealed that the hospital, which has been operational since 2021, has been functioning without a Fire NOC or adequate fire safety measures. The Fire Department’s report stated that a 30-bed hospital was operating at the site without proper fire safety systems in place, and the department has not issued a Fire NOC to the site.
/theprobe/media/media_files/2025/01/24/V1SZ37MPw8nfEk06maTF.jpg)
The letter dated November 8 2024 asked the hospital to address its fire safety deficiencies. Nishant Bharihoke, lawyer of the Chhabra family states: “The Fire Department is not that far away from its MCG counterparts in terms of sidestepping the law. How can an NOC be issued? Fire NOCs can only be granted based on the building plan. Since it’s a residential-approved building, the Fire NOC must meet the guidelines for residential buildings. But this is a hospital. Even if the requirements for a hospital-related NOC were met, it is still illegal to issue an NOC for a hospital operating in a building with a residential plan.”
In our initial story on Simran Chhabra's death, we focused on the medical negligence and the hospital's role in her treatment. However, it’s now clear that the hospital alone cannot be blamed. The MCG authorities are equally, if not more, responsible. Their failure to enforce their own orders and allow such violations to continue proved fatal for the Chhabra family. Simran paid the ultimate price for the MCG's negligence with her life.