Patna, May 5 (IANS): The superintendent of Darbhanga Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Shankar Jha, was suspended on Tuesday after stickers inscribed with the word "bhukamp" (earthquake) were found pasted on the foreheads of quake victims last month, officials said.

Ignoring the Indian Medical Association's support to Jha and the demand for a judicial inquiry into the incident, the state government finally took action against him.

"DMCH superintendent Jha was suspended and a notification has been issued in this connection," health secretary Anand Kishor said here.

Asked by the Bihar government to probe the incident, Kishor had found Jha guilty and recommended his suspension last Saturday.

When victims of last month's earthquake were admitted to DMCH for treatment, stickers with the word "bhukamp" were stuck on their foreheads.

Jha had expressed regret over the incident and claimed that it happened without any order from any one. "It was a big mistake," Jha had admitted.

According to officials in DMCH, soon after over 100 quake victims were admitted to the hospital, paramedics had pasted the stickers on their forehead for identification.

All the stickers were removed soon after last Tuesday's hue and cry over the issue.