Second autopsy conducted

Tribune News Service
Patiala, February 13

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Family members of a 30-year-old deceased, whose body was allegedly swapped with the body of an immigrant from Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday, have now submitted a written complaint against officials of the hospital mortuary with the police.

Alleging negligence on the part of the doctors, the family members demanded an inquiry into the matter and also sought punishment for those found guilty. Meanwhile, a board of doctors comprising three senior and junior doctors at the department, conducted the second postmortem of the body that the family members of the deceased immigrant from Uttar Pradesh had mistakenly taken along.

Dr DS Bhullar of the forensic department said, “We suggested that the postmortem be conducted again to ward-off any misconception over stealing of any of the body parts. The bodies were later handed over to the families.”

Ronnie Singh, in-charge, model town police post said the police had marked an inquiry into the matter after receipt of the complaint. “They had not approached us with a complaint yesterday. Today, we have marked an inquiry on the receipt of the complaint.”

The case

Confusion had erupted at the mortuary of Government Rajindra Hospital here on Wednesday after the family members of a deceased identified as Fauji levelled charges of swapping of bodies against the mortuary staff.

They raised allegations that their deceased family member’s body was handed over to a family of a deceased from Uttar Pradesh due to negligence by mortuary staff, who in turn rejected the claims. Following this, the family carrying the corpse to their native village in Gonda of UP was directed to return to the city. Dr DS Bhullar, rejecting the claims, had said the family members themselves had wrongly identified the dead body before the postmortem.