Kept for autopsy in open, dogs mutilate body in MP govt hospital

Bhopal, May 11 (IANS) The dire state of management at Narmadapuram District Hospital (72 km from Bhopal) in Madhya Pradesh has been exposed in a horrifying incident -- dogs attacked and mutilated the body of a young man awaiting post-mortem overnight, revealing a shocking level of negligence by hospital authorities.

The tragedy began on Friday night in the rural police station area near Palanpur, where a fatal road accident claimed the life of a young man, identified as Nikhil Chourasia.

His body was taken to the district hospital for post-mortem, but by morning, it had been severely damaged by stray dogs.

A disturbing video of the incident has since gone viral on social media.

Confirming the occurrence, Civil Surgeon Dr Sudhir Vijayavargiya explained to IANS that the hospital lacks a dedicated freezer or facility for storing bodies due to its outdated building infrastructure, though a new building is under construction.

In the meantime, bodies are kept in open areas with family members nearby, and security guards are deployed to oversee them.

He stated that a show-cause notice will be issued to the responsible personnel -- security guards, who are deployed on an outsourced basis.

When the victim’s grieving family arrived to collect the body, they were devastated to find parts of his neck torn apart. Overcome with sorrow and rage, they confronted the hospital staff about the negligence. When asked if it is not an unintentional tampering with the body, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Parag Saini told IANS that the viral video has brought widespread attention to the incident.

While the family has not yet approached police, an investigation is underway.

Alarmingly, this is not an isolated event -- several similar incidents have occurred in the past, casting serious doubts on the hospital’s security and management.

The 21-year-old Nikhil Chaurasia, who lost his life in the accident, was a resident of Banapura, had been returning from a wedding in Palanpur along with friends Hrithik Rajput and Rohit Mehra when a speeding vehicle crashed into their bike on Dolriya Road.

Nikhil succumbed to his injuries at the scene, while Hrithik and Rohit were critically injured and are currently receiving treatment at a private hospital.

Police authorities have yet to identify the vehicle responsible for the accident.

According to the latest annual report of the state health department, a total of Rs 13,270.31 crore was allocated for the health budget, but the department could only invest 89 per cent or Rs 11,859.87 crore during the financial year 2023-24. Of which Rs 600 crore were made available for infrastructure during the year.

--IANS

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