The patient's husband, R S Rawat claims that the death had been caused by fluid overload of the lungs. He says she was administered glucose in huge quantities despite the fact that she had been having difficulty in urinating.

He and the patient's daughter Chandrakala had cited the fact that a third X- Ray of the patient after her admission into ICU on October 9 had shown fluid overload, which was also confirmed by radiologist Ashish Bhagat there. But Dr Bhagat later changed his version and said it was ARDS.

According to Dr J. Jacob, director of the hospital, the cause of the patient's death will not be known as no post-mortem was done. The immediate cause was acute breathlessness or ARDS which he said could lead to instant death. Neither he nor the ICU in-charge Dr Giri had no explanations as to why the patient who developed the condition on the night of October 8 was not shifted to ICU immediately. She was moved to ICU only in the afternoon the next day.

As for the third X-Ray, Dr Giri said it was missing and claimed that it was with the patient's relatives. According to him, the patient was given not more than four bottles of glucose every 24 hours, while the relatives were alleging that eight to nine bottles had been administered to her. Dr Giri had the papers to show that only four bottle of glucose had been given, but the patient's son refused to believe that was what really happened.

The doctor also refuted the allegation that the relatives were not informed of the death for more than an hour.

Referring to another report -- Child to suffer amputation, Express Newsline, October 19 -- on the gangrene developed on the thumb of an infant admitted in the hospital, Dr Jacob said the gangrene was there when the baby was admitted on October 5 with pneumonia by an NGO, Palna.

A.V. Kumar of Palna, however, says the child was admitted with pneumonia and not with gangrene. She adds that she does not hold the hospital responsible for the gangrene which has cost the baby its thumb.