There were allegations that the deaths happened due to disruption in the oxygen supply as the vendor had not been paid for several months. (Photo: PTI)

Gorakhpur (UP): Former principal of BRD Medical College Rajiv Mishra and his wife Purnima Shukla were on Thursday sent to judicial custody for 14 days by a local court in connection with the deaths of scores of children in the state-run medical college hospital.

The doctor couple, arrested on Tuesday by Uttar Pradesh's Special Task Force (STF), was produced before the court of additional sessions judge Shivanand Singh, who sent them to the Gorakhpur district jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

They were named in an FIR lodged by the UP government. The two were brought to the court in Gorakhpur amid tight security.

Mishra was suspended as principal of the medical college on August 12 after the deaths were reported. He resigned on the same day. There were allegations that the deaths happened due to disruption in the oxygen supply as the vendor had not been paid for several months.

While the Uttar Pradesh government vehemently denied that shortage of oxygen led to the deaths, a high-powered probe committee headed by Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar indicted Mishra and others of laxity and other charges.