What Is Formalin? All About the Chemical As 3-Year-Old Cancer Patient Dies After Being Injected With Toxic Formalin at AIIMS Bhopal
Three-year-old cancer patient Sarthak Yadav died at AIIMS Bhopal after being injected with toxic formalin instead of medicine. An internal probe revealed a nurse left the chemical exposed in a syringe, and another injected it into the child's IV line. Both nurses were suspended and booked by police for gross negligence.
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In a case of severe medical negligence, two nursing officers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal have been suspended and booked by the police after a three-year-old blood cancer patient died when a toxic tissue-preserving chemical (formalin) was intravenously administered to him instead of regular medicine. The incident, which took place in December 2025, led to formal criminal charges being filed following an internal hospital inquiry that directly linked the toddler’s death to the medical error.
The local Bagsewania police registered the First Information Report (FIR) against the medical personnel after hospital management confirmed the investigation's findings. Dr Rashmi Verma Dies: AIIMS Bhopal Doctor Dies of Alleged Anaesthesia Overdose After Nearly 25 Days on Ventilator.
Fatal Treatment Error in Paediatric Ward
The victim, identified as Sarthak Yadav, was a resident of Kaurja village in the Bina tehsil of Sagar district. Sarthak, who was battling B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (B-ALL) - a form of blood cancer - had been admitted to the paediatric ward at AIIMS Bhopal on December 15, 2025, in critical condition following a fever. According to police records, the fatal error occurred on the morning of December 17, 2025. When the child's intravenous (IV) line became blocked, the nursing officer on duty allegedly retrieved a 10-ml syringe marked with the letter "F" from a nearby bedside locker and flushed the line without verifying its contents.
Father’s Unheeded Warnings
Sarthak’s father, Siddharth Yadav, stated to investigators that he noticed the marking and repeatedly attempted to prevent the nurse from using the syringe. "My son had cancer, and we had admitted him to AIIMS," Yadav alleged. "In the morning, a nurse came. The IV line was blocked. She picked up a syringe marked with an 'F' and injected it into the IV bottle. I tried to stop her three times, but she said, 'Am I the doctor here, or are you?' Shortly after that, my son lost consciousness," he added.
The child’s condition deteriorated rapidly after the injection entered his bloodstream. He was rushed to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where doctors administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and other emergency treatments, but he was declared dead at 8:45 AM. The family further alleged that hospital staff attempted to confiscate the IV bottle during the ensuing panic before it was secured for the investigation.
What Is Formalin? Internal Inquiry Fixes Accountability
Formalin is a highly toxic, aqueous solution of formaldehyde gas used in medical facilities exclusively to preserve bodies, tissue samples, and biopsies; it is strictly lethal if entered into human veins. A subsequent internal probe by an AIIMS committee established that the direct cause of Sarthak's death was the intravenous administration of formalin. The hospital report detailed that the syringe had been filled with formalin by Nursing Officer Anuka Gujarati on December 16 for a scheduled bone marrow biopsy. When the procedure was postponed, Gujarati reportedly failed to safely discard or store the hazardous substance, leaving it exposed on a bedside table. Nursing Officer Madhubala Sharma was identified as the individual who subsequently administered the toxic fluid to the child. AIIMS Bhopal Resident Doctors Caught Drinking in Car, Misbehaving With Police; 1 Dismissed, Another Faces Disciplinary Action After Video Goes Viral.
Criminal Charges and Suspensions
Following the conclusion of the medical board's probe, the Bagsewania police registered a criminal case against both nurses. Bagsewania police station in-charge Amit Soni confirmed that AIIMS management immediately suspended both employees from duty. Madhubala Sharma has been booked under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for causing death due to gross negligence. Anuka Gujarati faces charges under Section 286 of the BNS for the negligent handling of a hazardous, poisonous substance. The local police zones have seized the relevant IV fluid samples for forensic validation, and law enforcement teams are currently tracking down the accused nurses, who remain at large.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 14, 2026 08:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
