Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan slammed news channel Times Now on Twitter over a report connecting his government with the Mumbai hospital fire which left eight people dead.

In its report the news channel said that the Maharashtra government had on 30 October 2014 issued a circular which stated that there was no need for a renewal of fire approval initially given to industries and corporate houses.

The decision, according to the report, was taken in order to avoid hassles of renewing the initially issued NOC. Multiple visuals on the channel showed Chavan side-by-side with scenes of the tragedy.

Following the report, the former Maharashtra CM took to Twitter accusing the channel of blaming the tragic incident on him even though he demitted office on 26 September 2014. He added that the channel was trying to “please their masters”.

“The desperate attempt by @TimesNow to blame the tragic fire incident at ESIC Kamgar Hospital on me is an outrageous act to please their Masters’. Circular in the report was issued on 30 Oct 2014. I demitted office on 26 Sept 2014. I expected some basic research before reporting,” he wrote.

“The State was run by BJP through Governor’s rule. Will it question to the people in power on that day? I demand an unconditional apology from @TimesNow . @navikakumar  @RShivshankar,” he added tagging the channels Managing Editor Navika Kumar and Editor-in-Chief Rahul Shivshankar.

The desperate attempt by @TimesNow to blame the tragic fire incident at ESIC Kamgar Hospital on me is an outrageous act to please their Masters’. Circular in the report was issued on 30 Oct 2014. I demitted office on 26 Sept 2014. I expected some basic research before reporting.

— Prithviraj Chavan (@prithvrj) December 19, 2018

The State was run by BJP through Governor’s rule. Will it question to the people in power on that day? I demand an unconditional apology from @TimesNow . @navikakumar @RShivshankar https://t.co/f4w1H7J1hC

— Prithviraj Chavan (@prithvrj) December 19, 2018

Chavan had resigned from his post on 26 September 2014 after the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) withdrew its support to his government reducing the Congress to a minority.

Maharashtra went under President’s Rule two days later for 32 days during which elections to the 288-member state assembly were conducted which brought the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies to power.

A massive fire broke out in the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Kamgar Hospital in Andheri (East) in Mumbai on Monday evening.

A majority of the eight fatalities occurred due to suffocation while one person is stated to have jumped from the third floor of the hospital to his death in a state of panic.

Read More | Toll in Mumbai fire rises to 8; many critical, CM Fadnavis orders inquiry, briefs PM Modi

A total of 176 patients, staff members, and others were rescued after a fire broke out on Monday evening at the (ESIC) Hospital which is situated in Marol Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area, an industrial hub of the north-western suburb.

While 142 continue their treatment in over half a dozen public and private hospitals, 26 have been discharged so far, said an official.