Thiruvananthapuram |The Kerala government on Wednesday initiated disciplinary proceedings against a consultant doctor at a state-run hospital here following allegations of the death of a newborn after a C-section delivery.

State Health Minister Veena George ordered the transfer Dr Bindhu Sundar from Nedumangad District Hospital pending inquiry and to constitute an expert panel of doctors to carry out a thorough probe into the death of the child.

On the directions of the minister, a team of specialist doctors from the SAT Hospital has been constituted to conduct the probe, an official statement said here.

The team comprises experts from the departments of paediatrics, gynaecology and anaesthesiology, it said, adding that they have been instructed to submit an urgent report to the government on Wednesday itself.

The Nedumangad hospital has been witnessing intense protests of various political parties and local people since Tuesday evening following the death of the newborn after the baby was taken out through the C-Section procedure.

The family of the deceased child alleged that negligence on the part of the doctor was the reason for the child's death.

They also alleged that they had given bribes to the doctor ahead of the delivery.

Earlier in the day, the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) demanded strict legal action against those who allegedly attacked doctors and created unrest at the Nedumangad district hospital.

In a statement, the district unit of the KGMOA said the death of the newborn was "deeply painful and unfortunate", but condemned what it termed as violence and "mob trial" targeting the hospital superintendent and the District Medical Officer.

Describing the incident as "unacceptable in a democratic society", the association announced that February 18 would be observed as a protest day in the capital district.

The KGMOA said that healthcare workers were striving round the clock to provide quality treatment despite severe manpower shortages and limited infrastructure.

Therefore, portraying doctors as criminals over medical complications that may arise during treatment and publicly humiliating them was condemnable, it said.

It demanded that stringent legal action be taken under the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act against those who allegedly created a tense atmosphere in the hospital and attacked doctors.

The association also sought the constitution of an expert committee to conduct an immediate, transparent and impartial inquiry into the incident, asserting that any action against doctors based merely on allegations, without the committee's report, would be unjustified.

It warned that if hasty decisions were taken under external pressure, the organisation would be compelled to launch strong protest programmes.

Police on Tuesday registered a case of unnatural death under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) into the newborn's death at the state-run hospital.

Family members of the woman had alleged that they were informed a caesarean section would be performed if the baby was not delivered by noon, but claimed that the procedure was delayed.

"Had they performed the caesarean earlier, the baby would have survived," relatives told reporters.

Activists of the Congress, BJP and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) staged protests outside the hospital on Tuesday demanding action against the concerned doctor, police had said.