Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Tuesday lodged two FIRs against the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital authorities in connection with the hospital fire late on Monday evening. A short-circuit in the hospital's dialysis unit was suspected to be the cause of the blaze, which was put out three hours after it started.

Wasting no time however, the State Fire Service Organisation (SFSO) has made a decision to go for a fire safety verification drive of all the major hospitals, including the six medical colleges in the State.

Harichandan also raised questions about how a no objection certificate was given to the hospital in absence of adequate fire fighting equipment.

DMET Prof P C Mohapatra, who has been leading an inquiry team, this afternoon visited the hospital and spoke to different people, including the staff. The state government also found serious violation of its fire safety advisory issued to the hospital in 2013.

Demanding a judicial probe into the fire tragedy which claimed 20 lives last night, opposition Congress and BJP today demanded the resignation of Odisha Health Minister Atanu S Nayak, while CPI leader D Raja sought a high-level probe into the incident.

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Most of the deaths in the four-storey hospital took place due to suffocation and asphyxiation, a senior official said, adding that majority of the patients at the ICU were on ventilator support.

Their arrest on charges of criminal negligence, including culpable homicide, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and negligence with regard to fire safety, is based on an FIR filed by Fire Services Department, Police Commissioner Y.B. Khurania said. However, an official confirmation on the cause of the fire is still awaited. "You can call it bad luck", Dr JR Das, Associate Dean, SUM Hospital, told reporters.

He said the exact reason behind the unfortunate incident will be known only after the investigation committee submits its report.

On May 31, a fire broke out at the state-run SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack.

More than 20 people died in the fire.