A doctor has been arrested in connection with the deaths of 15 women at two state-run sterilisation camps in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.

India sterilisation deaths: Chhattisgarh inquiry ordered

The government has ordered an inquiry into the botched sterilisations

Dr RK Gupta and his assistant carried out tubectomies on 130 women at two separate camps on Saturday and Monday.

Fourteen died after the first camp in Bilaspur and one after the second, while more than 90 women remain in hospital, many in a critical condition.

Protests have been held and the state government has ordered an inquiry.

It is still not clear what caused the deaths.

Dr Gupta, who had been earlier feted by the state government for conducting a record number of sterilisations, was suspended after the deaths of women at a camp in Bilaspur on Saturday. He was arrested on Wednesday night and will appear in court on Thursday.

Reports say he operated on 83 women in five hours in one of the camps - government rules say one surgeon should only perform 35 operations in a day.

When the women were brought into hospital after the operations, they were vomiting continuously and their blood pressure had fallen dramatically, correspondents said.

Source: BBC