The process of replacing the housekeeping and security agency across MY Hospital and the associated units of MGM Medical College, initiated after the rat-bite deaths of two newborns, has taken a serious turn, with documents revealing that the new operator was appointed without government approval, and is a company that the state had previously terminated from five medical colleges for severe lapses in the year 2018 and 2019. The controversy began when the college administration moved to remove Agile Security following a state-level inquiry into the rat incident. But in late November, HLL Infra Tech Services Ltd (HITES) transferred the entire sanitation and security contract to BVG India Ltd, bypassing mandatory approval from the Medical Education Department, despite BVG’s long record of violations in Madhya Pradesh’s medical institutions. Department flags violation of procedure A letter issued on 20 November 2025 by the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) to HLL Infra Tech Services Ltd strongly objected to the manner in which the agency change was initiated. The department stated that while HLL had been instructed to identify a new operator due to severe deficiencies in cleaning and pest management, no information, approval request or intimation had been received regarding the appointment process, an explicit violation of rules that require government sanction for any service-provider change in medical colleges. The letter further directed HLL not to appoint any firm that had earlier been terminated from medical colleges or hospitals in Madhya Pradesh for lapses in sanitation or security. The state reminded HLL that complaints regarding the sudden shift had already reached the department and warned that appointing such a firm without permission would be treated as a service deficiency warranting action. The communication was issued with the approval of the Commissioner, Public Health and Medical Education, and signed by the Deputy Director (Finance). Despite this, HITES sent a fresh order the very next day, i.e. on November 21 informing MGM Medical College to hand over all work to BVG from November 30. BVG’s past record: A history of terminations BVG India Ltd, now re-appointed in Indore, had earlier been removed from five government medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh due to repeated, serious lapses. In 2018, the company was terminated from Vidisha, Datia and Shahdol Medical Colleges after persistent complaints of weak service delivery, improper site handover, incomplete documentation, and chronic understaffing. College administrations repeatedly flagged that BVG was not adhering to the basic terms of its contract. Removed from Sagar and Gwalior Medical Colleges in 2019 In 2019, BVG was again removed from Sagar and Gwalior Medical Colleges. This termination followed a series of violations including the firm operated without a mandatory PASARA license required for security services, biometric attendance systems remained non-functional for months, salaries and pay slips were delayed, police verification of staff was pending, and uniforms and essential equipment were missing. Inspection teams also reported that staffing levels were far below what was contractually required. Multiple notices were issued, but the company failed to respond adequately, leading to the cancellation of their contract. Given this track record, the appointment of BVG in Indore, one of the state’s largest and most sensitive medical campuses, has raised deeper questions about how the same agency resurfaced through HLL, and why the college administration proceeded without documented state approval. Background: The rat-bite case that triggered the shake-up The latest controversy comes just months after a devastating incident in MY Hospital’s pediatric surgery department, where two newborns died after being bitten by rats inside the NICU. A state-level inquiry had held the hospital guilty of grave negligence. It found that both the Rodent Control Committee and the Infection Control Committee had not met for months, leaving the hospital without the basic systems needed to monitor rodent activity or infection risk. Agile, the pest-control agency at the time, was severely indicted for allowing rodents to breach a critical care ward and was later blacklisted. Public anger surged, with families of the infants, tribal groups and political leaders demanding accountability and intervention. With a new controversy, oversight under lens again The decision to appoint a company that had previously been terminated and that too without mandatory government consent has put the sanitation and security overhaul back under scrutiny. Officials indicate that a deeper review is now likely, and further administrative action may follow once responsibility for the procedural breach is fixed. MGM Medical College Dean Dr Arvind Ghanghoriya, Medical Education Commissioner Tarun Rathi, and HLL Deputy Manager Vivian Anthony did not respond to calls or messages seeking comment on the matter. Post navigation Crowd threw stones beat police with sticks in Rajgarh:Two cops injured during 1.5-hour seige; team had gone to arrest kidnapping accused RES engineer’s audio recording triggers controversy in Mauganj case:Claims paying collector ₹5 lakh could avoid action, says, ‘Money can manage everything’
