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Father forced to carry dead son 70 km triggers slugfest in Jharkhand
“My son died on Friday afternoon, but I only had ₹100 in my pocket for the bus fare. There was no ambulance, so I carried the body in a plastic bag and came home by bus, walking through the jungle and hillocks till late at night,” Dimba Chatomba told the media on Saturday.
An incident in which a father was forced to carry his four-month-old dead son in a plastic bag for 70 km from Chaibasa Sadar Hospital (CSH) to his home in Bara Baljori village under Noamundi Block of West Singhbhum district, due to the alleged absence of a 108 ambulance or hearse vehicle, has triggered widespread outrage and a political slugfest in Jharkhand.
“My son died on Friday afternoon, but I only had ₹100 in my pocket for the bus fare. There was no ambulance, so I carried the body in a plastic bag and came home by bus, walking through the jungle and hillocks till late at night,” Dimba Chatomba told the media on Saturday.
However, Dr Bharti Goreti Minz, the West Singhbhum civil surgeon, presented a different sequence of events.
“Dimba Chatomba brought his four-month-old son here at 5 p.m. on Thursday with complaints of fever and loose motions. Doctors started treatment immediately. Blood tests revealed that the child was also suffering from malaria and was on oxygen support. We advised him to take the child to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital (MGMMCH) in Jamshedpur, but he was not financially capable. The child died at 1:15 p.m. on Friday. We informed the hearse vehicle, but it was in Manoharpur at the time. By the time it returned, Chatomba had left with his son without informing anyone. We couldn’t contact him as he didn’t have a mobile phone,” she said.
Minz also conceded that patient parties need to pay the hearse vehicle or ambulance charge for carrying bodies, and in most cases, ambulances are reluctant to carry bodies.
The incident quickly escalated into a political confrontation. State health minister Irfan Ansari blamed the media for tarnishing the image of the ruling JMM-Congress-RJD coalition, while the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) targeted the state health department for negligence.
“What could be more inhuman and regrettable than this—that a father couldn’t get an ambulance, forcing him to carry his dead son in a plastic bag? This is Chaibasa, where, a few weeks ago, thalassemia patient children were transfused with HIV-infected blood. Just two days ago, reports emerged about the unavailability of medicines in RIMS-Ranchi. News and photos of chaos in government hospitals, missing ambulances, and patients being carried to hospitals are routinely going viral. Yet, nothing stirs this shameless government,” former Jharkhand CM and BJP leader Champai Soren posted on X and Facebook.
Former Singhbhum MP Geeta Koda visited Chatomba’s home in Bara Baljori, expressing shock at the alleged negligence.
“That a father had to carry his infant son’s dead body in a plastic bag, traversing jungles and hilly terrain till late at night, exposes the gross negligence and insensitivity of the state health department and the CSH,” Koda told HT on Saturday.
She added, “This government may be making big claims, but over a lakh children in the district are malnourished. The health system in the region is on its deathbed, despite the region generating mineral revenue worth billions for the state. The government has stopped caring about Adivasis, health service delivery, and basic medical infrastructure. We demand a high-level inquiry and strong action against the officials found guilty. Ambulances, doctors, medicines, and essential health facilities must be ensured so such tragedies are never repeated.”
Meanwhile, Ansari called on chief minister Hemant Soren to probe the matter and take action against those spreading misleading information.
“Dear CM, I urge you to take strict action against those spreading false allegations, misleading news, and rumours to defame the state health system. Flashing unverified news is irresponsible and spreads fear among the public. Due to a few rumour-mongers, doctors in Chaibasa are hesitant to go there; in Palamu, doctors refuse postings; in Chatra, doctors are refusing despite assignments. I humbly request that stringent action be taken against individuals and groups attempting to weaken the health system and demoralise it through misleading news,” Ansari tweeted, tagging CM Soren.
He further clarified, “Recently, confusion was deliberately spread claiming the child was four years old, while he was actually a 4-month-old infant. Facts were distorted to defame doctors and the medical system. I have taken this seriously and ordered an investigation. Anyone found guilty will not be spared under any circumstances.”
The controversy comes on the heels of another incident highlighting systemic lapses. A severely injured elderly man lying near Ranchi railway station on Wednesday morning was rescued by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and two police personnel from Chutis police station, but the 108 ambulance service failed to respond within the critical golden hour. This is despite the state government spending approximately ₹5 crore per month on the 108 service.
People familiar with the incident said the RPF and police personnel even threatened the ambulance driver with a complaint to the Ranchi deputy commissioner, to which the driver reportedly responded, “Complain to anyone, nothing will happen.”
