Human Rights Commission takes suo motu cognisance of Samrala Hospital negligence

Taking suo motu cognizance of an incident at Samrala Civil Hospital, where the body of a deceased person was left lying outside the mortuary for nearly one and a half hours due to alleged negligence by the hospital administration, the Punjab State & Chandigarh (UT) Human Rights Commission has sought a detailed report from the Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana.

The Commission, comprising Chairperson Justice Sant Parkash, Member Justice Gurbir Singh, and Member Jitender Singh Shunty, observed that such apathy not only reflects administrative failure but also amounts to denying dignity to the dead.

The Commission has directed the Civil Surgeon to submit the report one week before the next date of hearing, fixed for 20 August 2026. A copy of the order has also been sent to the Director, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, for information. Last week, a dead body was brought to the hospital for postmortem, but it remained lying outside the mortuary for a prolonged period as the staff failed to shift it.

A three-member committee has already been formed to investigate the matter by the SMO, Civil Hospital, Samrala.