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Batala incident: Probe begins after accident victim’s body cremated in place of unidentified corpse
Batala police on Sunday initiated an investigation to probe the role of the staff of the Batala civil hospital and the officials of the government railway police after a dead body of an accident victim was allegedly exchanged and cremated instead of an unidentified and unclaimed corpse.
Batala police on Sunday initiated an investigation to probe the role of the staff of the Batala civil hospital and the officials of the government railway police (GRP) after a dead body of an accident victim was allegedly exchanged and cremated instead of an unidentified and unclaimed corpse. Both the bodies were exchanged at the mortuary house of the Batala civil hospital on Sunday.
One Surinder Singh of Ghasitpur village in Batala had died of a road accident on Saturday. His body was brought to the civil hospital for conducting the post-mortem. Similarly, a corpse of an unidentified person who was found dead on the railway tracks was also brought to the civil hospital for his post-mortem. The unclaimed body was lying in the mortuary for the procedural 72 hours time for its identification.
Sukhwinder’s brother-in-law Naranjan Singh Gill, who is also a farmer union leader, said, “My brother-in-law had died after a car had hit him on Saturday. We brought his body for the post-mortem to the civil hospital, but the doctors had assured us that the body would be given back on Sunday morning. On Sunday morning, we came to the hospital, but the body was not given to us. The doctors said the body of my brother-in-law was cremated by the government railway police with the help of the municipal council instead of the body which was found on the railway tracks.” He said, “We want justice. The doctors who have done this gross negligence should be held accountable.”
GRP’s assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Shakti Masis said the unclaimed body was kept in the morgue for the identification. “The post-mortem of the body was conducted in presence of the investigation officer. I had not seen the face of the body when it was brought here. I was given the body with papers. After this, I went to the municipal council and the body was cremated.”
Senior medical officer (SMO) of the hospital Davinder Singh said he has made a board of three senior doctors to unravel the truth behind the exchange of the body.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Batala, Satinder Singh said they have added Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the first information report (FIR) registered pertaining to the accident at the Batala Sadar police station.
“The victim’s family members have alleged the negligence of the hospital staff. We will also involve the GRP in the investigation for the case’s thorough probe. So far no one is nominated by name, but strict action will be taken as per our investigation,” he said.
