Guntur, Andhra Pradesh: The death of a 10-day-old boy after he was bitten by rats at a government-run hospital in Guntur sparked outrage on Thursday with various groups staging protests.

His mother, Chavali Lakshmi, said she alerted staff after noticing some of her son’s fingers appeared to have been nibbled away during his stay in the neonatal intensive care unit.

“Our son was about to undergo a surgery but we noticed wounds on his right hand on Wednesday. Rats had nibbled them [fingers] away,” Lakshmi told TV reporters.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said he has suspended three officials and ordered an inquiry into the incident.

“Shocked and deeply disturbed after learning that a baby boy died after bitten by rats in Guntur hospital,” Naidu said on Twitter.

“Warned officials that such an incident should not recur.”

The hospital’s top official, medical superintendent T. Venugopala Rao, could not be contacted for comment despite repeated attempts.

Activists of various opposition parties and non-political groups staged protest at Government General Hospital (GGH), seeking stern action against the officials responsible for the negligence which led to the newborn’s death on Wednesday.

Workers of main opposition YSR Congress party tried to barge into the hospital as they wanted to meet the ministers who were present on the premises.

Activists of the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) and Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) also staged protests. They demanded a compensation of Rs1 million (Dh55,670) for the family of the newborn.

The baby was allegedly bit by rodents twice in three days in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The infant, born in Vijayawada, was suffering a congenital urinary tract disorder. He was referred to GGH, Guntur and was under observation for a week.

C. Nagaraju, a daily wage earner, and his wife Lakshmi had repeatedly complained to the hospital staff about the danger posed by rats in the hospital.

Health mister Kamineni Srinivas along with three other ministers and Guntur MP Galla Jayadev visited the hospital.

The health minister told reporters that stern action would be taken against those found guilty. He said action would also be taken against those who failed to take action despite Lakshmi’s complaints.

Terming the incident shameful, he announced Rs500,000 (Dh27,838) compensation for the family of the victim.

The health minister said a special sanitation drive would be launched at the hospital.

“The government will take all steps to ensure that such incidents don’t recur,” Srinivas said.