The Government Railway Police (GRP) have initiated an inquiry after the Baleswar district Collector sought a report on the issue of the body of a 75-year-old woman, carried in bamboo after breaking her legs and packing it in a sack.
While photos of the body being carried went viral, the district administration and the hospital authorities were in a tizzy. The incident occurred on Wednesday. The body was identified to be of one Taramani Barik, who is a resident of Baleswar town.
The woman was injured near Bahanaga station after being hit by a goods train when she was crossing the lines. The injured was although ferried to the Soro station by the railway in a train and then admitted in the Soro CHC after ferrying her in an ambulance, yet doctors declared her brought dead.
The inquiring officer of GRP Pratap Rudra Mishra went to the Soro CHC to probe the matter. Her legs were folded and the body was put in a sack.
After slinging the sack in a bamboo pole, the body was brought from the CHC to Soro railway station shouldered by two persons (sweepers). The inhuman picture shook every one.
Mishra said when he reached the hospital, the patient was lying dead and there was no doctor in the CHC. He said he waited from 11 am till 3 pm and finally decided to bring the body to Balswar hospital.
“There is no mortuary facility in Soro. Since the body was unidentified then it had to be preserved for 96 hours. Therefore, the body was brought to Baleswar. As the body became stiff, her legs were folded to put in sack. Further, the department gives only Rs 1,000 per case for such body. Since I couldn’t find any doctor and Government vehicle, I tried for private vehicle. But the private vehicle demanded Rs 500-Rs 1,000. Therefore, the body was brought to Soro railway station from CHC about 1.5 km,” said Mishra, the EO.
He further said neither the autopsy could be carried out nor the body could be kept in the morgue on Wednesday and next day on Thursday the post mortem was done in the DHH.
Deceased’s son Rabindra Barik identified the body which was handed over to him for last rites.
Soro medical officer Hemant Kumar Raul said, “She had died before arriving in the hospital. Duty doctor Dhiresh Patra declared her dead. The GRP didn’t inform the hospital before taking the body out of hospital. The CHC had autopsy facility and there was no need bringing the body to Baleswar.”
District Collector Pramod Das said, “An inquiry report has been sought from the GRP.”