Guwahati, Aug. 27 -- Leader of Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia has urged the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to take suo motu cognisance of the recent death of a newborn at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

He called calling it a blatant case of medical negligence and a violation of fundamental human rights.

In a letter to the AHRC chairman, Saikia said the death of the four-day-old girl on August 18 in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of GMCH was prima facie attributable to overcrowding, staff shortages and failure in duty of care. He requested the Commission to order an independent inquiry, fix accountability, and provide immediate protection to the infant's parents, who he said hav...