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Blunder led to wrongful cremation in Ludhiana: FIR against private hospital after body mix-up, kin protest at facility
An FIR has been filed against Orison Hospital for medical negligence after mistakenly cremating the wrong woman’s body, causing family outrage.
An FIR has been registered against the management and staff of Orison Hospital on Barewal Road for alleged medical negligence after the facility reportedly mixed up the bodies of two women who died on the same day, leading to one of them being cremated by the wrong family.
The allegations of serious lapses in mortuary management have surfaced following the incident, which came to light on Monday morning.
The FIR, under Sections 305 (theft), 314 (dishonest misappropriation of movable property) and 316 (2) (criminal breach of trust) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), was lodged on Monday evening at Sarabha Nagar police station on the complaint of Jaswant Singh Sandhu, husband of the 72-year-old deceased woman whose body was wrongly cremated. Police said further names may be added as the investigation progresses.
The woman, who was cremated, has been identified as Jasbir Kaur Sandhu, a resident of Moga. According to the family and hospital records, two women — Jasbir Kaur Sandhu and Manju — were admitted to Orison Hospital for treatment, and both died on December 19.
Jaswant Singh said his wife was first admitted to a hospital in Moga and was later referred to Orison Hospital in Ludhiana on December 10. Despite nine days of treatment, she passed away on December 19.
As the couple’s two sons were returning from Canada, the family requested the hospital authorities to keep Jasbir Kaur’s body in the mortuary so that the last rites could be performed in their native village when their sons arrive together.
However, in what the family termed a grave lapse, the hospital staff allegedly handed over Jasbir Kaur’s body to Manju’s family on Saturday. Unaware of the mix-up, Manju’s family cremated the body.
The blunder went unnoticed for nearly two days and the incident came to light around 8 am on Monday, when Jasbir Kaur’s family reached the hospital to collect the body. Instead, they were shown the body of Manju. Realising that the bodies had been mixed-up, the family confronted hospital officials, triggering chaos on the premises of the facility.
Agitated relatives staged a demonstration, accusing the hospital management of negligence, insensitivity and a complete breakdown of verification procedures.
One of Jasbir Kaur’s sons, who had flown in from Canada, said he had travelled thousands of kilometres to have a final glimpse of his mother, only to be told that she had already been cremated. The family’s shock deepened when they were initially asked to collect the ashes, but were later informed that even the ashes had already been taken away by Manju’s family.
He said they were robbed of their last goodbye. Family members questioned how such a serious error could occur, pointing out that the two deceased women had a weight difference of nearly 30 to 35kg.
They also questioned how Manju’s family cremated the body without even verifying the face and alleged serious lapses in mortuary management and identity checks. Following the protest, police reached the hospital and recorded statements of the family members.
Sub-inspector Aditya Sharma, SHO of Sarabha Nagar police station, said the investigation is underway. Despite repeated attempts, Dr Sunil Mittal, who is part of the hospital management, could not be reached for a comment.
