Haryana Human Rights Commission takes suo motu cognisance of Faridabad's body-on-cart incident

The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a disturbing incident in Faridabad where the body of a woman who died during treatment at a government hospital was taken home on a motorised cart due to her family’s inability to afford transportation.

The Commission has fixed April 2 as the next date of hearing and directed the Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Director General of Health Services, Haryana, and the Civil Surgeon-cum-Chief Medical Officer, Faridabad, to submit their respective action-taken reports at least one week in advance.

The case pertains to Anuradha (35), who died during treatment at Badshah Khan Civil Hospital, Faridabad. Owing to the family’s extremely poor financial condition, they were unable to arrange money for transporting the body. As no ambulance or hearse was provided by the hospital or administration, the deceased was taken to her native village, Sarurpur, on an open motorised pushcart.

Taking serious note, the Commission, headed by Justice Lalit Batra, termed the incident a direct assault on human dignity, constitutional values and the very concept of a welfare state.

In its order, the full Commission — comprising chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia — observed that the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution does not merely mean existence, but also includes the right to live, and die, with dignity. Forcing a family to transport a body in degrading conditions due to poverty, it said, reflects a grave abdication of the state’s constitutional and moral responsibilities.

Referring to visuals and reports, the Commission noted that the cart was driven by the aged father-in-law of the deceased, while her husband and mother-in-law walked alongside. Her seven-year-old son was seen holding on to the sheet covering his mother’s body to prevent it from being blown away by the wind, a scene the Commission said should compel deep introspection in any civilised society.

The Commission also expressed concern over statements by health officials suggesting that government ambulances are not meant for transporting bodies, calling such claims indicative of policy gaps and administrative insensitivity.

Emphasising that dignity in death is a constitutional obligation and not an act of charity, the Commission recommended that the Health Department frame a policy to ensure free and dignified transportation of bodies of deceased patients from economically weaker families from civil hospitals to their residences.