In yet another heart wrenching incident of its kind, reported from Katihar district in Bihar this time, the family of a deceased man was forced to carry his dead body in a plastic bag as there was no ambulance available.
According to a report in the Hindustan Times, Sintu Kumar drowned in the Ganga river at Kursela two weeks ago and his body was fished out on 25 September. The hospital authorities at the Sadar hospital refused to conduct an autopsy because the body was badly decomposed, and asked the family to take the body to Bhagalpur, 86 kilometre from Katihar.
Despite repeated requests for an ambulance, the family received no help from the hospital authorities. Left with no other option, the family had to carry the body in a plastic bag.
"We were helpless after we were told to take the body to Bhagalpur for postmortem," HT quoted the family members saying.
"As it was badly decomposed, we referred it to Bhagalpur for postmortem," Katihar civil surgeon S. C. Jha told HT, defending the hospital's actions. "It was the duty of the police to send the body to Bhagalpur."
Earlier this month, two police constables in Bihar were suspended when a video showing them dragging a dead body by rope went viral on social media.
Also on HuffPost India.