NEW DELHI: A shocking case of gross negligence by the state health department has surfaced in Haridwar, where a dead body kept in the mortuary was found partially eaten by rats.
The family of the deceased created an uproar at the Haridwar District Hospital and demanded strict action against the officials responsible.
The incident came to light on Saturday (Dec 6) morning when the family members of Lakhan Sharma alias Lucky (36), the deceased manager of Punjabi Dharamshala in Jwalapur, Haridwar, noticed injury-like marks on his face and eyes at the district hospital mortuary.
They also spotted several rats moving around in the mortuary and realized that parts of the body had been nibbled.
This led to chaos at the mortuary as the family members shouted at hospital authorities, and other people present joined them in demanding action against those responsible.
According to information provided by hospital officials, Sharma had died of cardiac arrest on Friday evening.
His family brought the body to the district hospital mortuary late that night for a post-mortem. However, the post-mortem could not be conducted and was deferred to the next morning due to legal time restrictions.
A hospital official said that when the relatives arrived on Saturday morning for the post-mortem, they were shocked to find deep wounds on the face, head, and one eye of the deceased.
They also saw rats running inside the room, making it clear that the body had been gnawed overnight.
As news of the incident spread, local Congress leaders reached the hospital and staged a protest against the health department outside the mortuary.
The family members alleged that the security and sanitation arrangements at the mortuary had completely collapsed, leaving even dead bodies unsafe. - The Statesman/ANN
