Telangana family carries relative’s body for 4 Km after hospital fails to provide hearse
A family in Telangana was forced to carry the body of a relative on their shoulders for nearly four kilometres after a government hospital allegedly failed to provide a hearse vehicle following his death.
The incident was reported from Bhadrachalam in Telangana and triggered outrage after videos and photographs circulated widely on social media.
According to officials, 45-year-old Kandi Venkanna suffered heatstroke amid intense summer temperatures last week. He was admitted to a nearby government hospital, where he later died during treatment.
Following his death, the family allegedly did not receive a hearse vehicle despite the hospital reportedly having one available for emergency use. With no immediate transportation arranged, relatives and local residents carried the body on their shoulders for nearly four kilometres.
The incident drew strong reactions from political leaders, particularly from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which accused the Congress government in Telangana of failing to provide basic healthcare and emergency services.
BRS working president K T Rama Rao criticised the State government and said the incident reflected a decline in public welfare services.
“During KCR’s government, even the last journey of a poor person was treated with dignity through dedicated mortuary transport services. Today, families are being forced to carry dead bodies on their shoulders,” he said in a post on X.
BRS leader T Harish Rao also questioned the condition of emergency response systems, including the 108 ambulance and hearse services introduced during the previous government.
Officials said a preliminary inquiry has been ordered to determine why the hearse vehicle was not provided in time.
The incident has once again raised concerns over healthcare infrastructure and emergency services in rural and semi-urban parts of Telangana, especially during the ongoing heatwave conditions.
