A doctor has been arrested in India following the deaths of at least 12 women who underwent surgery as part of a government-run sterilisation programme, a senior medical official said.
The cause of the deaths was not immediately clear, but officials said the victims showed signs of toxic shock, possibly because of dirty surgical equipment or contaminated medicines.
The doctor whose sterilisation of 83 women ended in at least 12 deaths said he has been made a scapegoat and said the government was responsible for the tragedy.
Dr R K Gupta told Reuters his equipment was rusty or dirty and claimed it was the government's duty to control the number of people that turned up at his "sterilisation camp".
Speaking at a police station where he is being held in custody, Gupta said:
Dr RK Gupta has said his supply of post-op drugs was contaminated after being arrested for the deaths of 13 women in a mass sterilisation.
Women who survived a botched mass sterilisation in India which left 12 others dead have told ITV News what they think went wrong.
Eleven women have been killed and others are in a critical condition in India after sterilisation operations were apparently botched.