India sterilisations: why does India carry out operations?

The Indian doctor whose sterilisation of 83 women in three hours left at least 14 dead – with many more still in a critical condition – has told reporters it was his "moral responsibility" not to turn any of the women away.

SK Gupta spoke to Reuters from a police cell where he is being held after he was arrested at a friend's house, The Guardian reports. Gupta denies that he performed the operations with poor clinical hygiene and blames adulterated medicines for the deaths.

How many women are affected?

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The BBC says Gupta and his assistant carried out 130 'tubectomies' (a type of sterilisation) on Saturday and Monday, in two separate state-run sterilisation 'camps' both in Chhattigarh state. Fourteen women died after the first camp and one after the second. More than 90 women are still in hospital, many in a critical condition.

What is a 'sterilisation camp'?

India uses mass sterilisation to control its growing population, with the operations conducted by visiting doctors in theatres that may otherwise see little use. Women are offered a small financial incentive to be sterilised. The Guardian's Deborah Doane says sterilisation "is a blunt instrument used on women either by coercion or by alleged choice".

Why did the women die?

The cause of death is still not known, though some Indian sources have pointed to poor hygiene at the camp, where spiders' webs were said to be hanging from the ceiling - and it was alleged Gupta carried out too many operations too quickly.

What does the doctor say?

Gupta insists his hygiene was up to scratch and instead blames "adulterated medicines" for the women's deaths, claiming they were given to the women after their operations. He told Reuters that a different doctor had carried out some of the procedures on Monday.

How have the authorities responded?

Gupta, who has in the past been officially commended for conducting record numbers of the operations, has been arrested and will appear in court later today. The government has ordered an inquiry after public demonstrations were held.