A day after a major fire gutted the record room of the state-run Baba Raghav Das Hospital in  Gorakhpur, the principal today said the files related to death of scores of children at the facility last year, allegedly due to restricted oxygen supply, were safe.

Principal Ganesh Kumar also said he has formed a five- member committee to analyse the losses caused due to the fire.

Crucial documents were feared destroyed as the fire, that broke out at 10 am yesterday, engulfed the principal's office and an adjacent record room, the fire department said yesterday.

"The documents related to the oxygen supply case are safe and they were kept at some safe place," Kumar said.

Samajwadi Party district unit president Prahlad Yadav had expressed suspicion the fire was an act of sabotage to destroy vital documents related to provision of oxygen to the hospital and files pertaining to restricted supply that led to deaths of children.

"I was on leave when the incident happened and when I reached my office I was shocked to see the damage," the principal said.

He said the five-member committee comprises a finance controller, civil engineer, maintenance engineer, and senior officials of the college.

"My personal assistant is making a list of the documents of my office and only after the report, anything could be said about the losses," he said.

District Magistrate Rajiv Routela yesterday asked ADM city, Rajneesh Chandra, to probe the matter and submit a report.

A probe committee headed by the fire service department will also give its report on the reasons behind the fire.

The medical college had hit the headlines in August last year when 63 children, including infants, died within a span of four days allegedly because the oxygen supply was disrupted due to non-payment of dues to the vendor.  -- PTI