Seventeen patients have died in the last 24 hours in civic-run Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa in Thane city, Maharashtra minister Tanaji Sawant and a senior police official said on Sunday.
The police official said the management of the facility have cited critical nature of the patients as well as age as causes.
State health minister Sawant said the dean of the hospital has been asked to submit a report in two days.
A Thane Municipal Corporation official said the deaths were being analysed and several civic officials are at the heavily-patronised facility for inspection of records etc.
Some officials put the toll at 18 but this could not be confirmed.
Deputy commissioner of police Ganesh Gawde said, "We have information of 17 deaths in the last 24 hours. We have been told the usual figure per day is six to seven."
"The hospital management told us some of the patients arrived there in a critical stage and succumbed during treatment. Some were elderly. We have increased police presence at the hospital to avoid any untoward incident due to these high number of deaths," the DCP informed.
Sawant said the dean of the hospital has been asked to submit a report in two days on the 17 deaths in the last 24 hours.
"Of these 17, a total of 13 were in the ICU. A few days ago, five patients had died in the hospital. The state government has asked the dean to submit a report in two days," the minister told reporters in Pune. -- PTI