It is a tale of two families grieving the loss of their loved ones. While one person died by suicide, another died of injuries after falling from a terrace. Both were taken to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Delhi's Northwest district. But what unfolded later is a case of alleged negligence at the hospital. The two bodies were mixed up, because of which, one of them was cremated by a family mistaking it for their relative's.
On Wednesday, Pradeep Kumar received a call informing him of his brother, Pankaj Kumar's accident.
"My sister-in-law called me and said that Pankaj has fallen from the terrace. She asked me to return home and rush to the hospital," recalled Pradeep Kumar.
The Police Control Room (PCR) was informed, and Pankaj (40), a resident of Delhi's Prem Nagar was taken to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital where he died of his injuries. His body was kept at the mortuary for post-mortem examination.
Around the same time, the body of Bharat Bhushan (45) from the Nangloi region was brought in for autopsy. Bhushan died of suicide.
"The body was shown to us before and after post-mortem. But, at home, we did not unpack the body for public viewing. The preparations were already in place so as soon as the body reached home, we performed a prayer and took the body for cremation," said Gopi, brother-in-law of Bhushan.
However, the Bhushan family unknowingly cremated Pankaj Kumar.
Lata, who was married to Bhushan for 15 years, alleged the body was shown from a distance, and they were distressed, which led to mixing of the two bodies.
"We only saw eyes. Now we were shown a picture of my husband, who is still inside the mortuary," Lata said.
On Thursday, when Pankaj's family reached the hospital to collect his body, they realised their family member has already been cremated.
"Initially I was told that post-mortem is pending. Then they said they are looking for the body and due to power issue, they were finding it difficult to locate the body. Later, Assistant Investigating Officer, Anup, informed me that my brother's body has been mistakenly handed over to someone else," Pradeep Kumar said.
Pankaj Kumar's family alleged serious negligence on part of the hospital in handling the bodies, claiming that a proper identification process was not ensured. Pankaj's brother has submitted a written complaint to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, demanding investigation.
(With inputs from Prabhakar Rana)
