MP govt orders probe, offers aid after clip of child sitting with brother's body goes viral

Home minister Narottam Mishra said the government has taken the issue seriously and asked the CEO of local zila panchayat to investigate the matter.

Updated on: Jul 11, 2022, 22:24:36 IST

By HT News Desk

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A day after a video of an eight-year-old sitting by the road holding his younger brother's body went viral on social media and sparked an outrage, the Madhya Pradesh government ordered a probe into the matter.

Screengrab from the video being ciruclated on internet.

Home minister Narottam Mishra said the government has taken the issue seriously and asked the CEO of local zila panchayat to investigate the matter.

It has also served a show-cause notice to the civil surgeon in the district hospital of Morena as the child's father had said the hospital had refused to assist them in finding an ambulance service to carry his dead baby’s body back to his village. " ₹10,000 has been given from the Red Cross," the MP minister said, according to news agency ANI.

On Sunday, the video of the child sitting by the road with the body of his infant brother outside the Morena district hospital went viral on social media. The child sat there for a couple of hours while his father ran around in search of an ambulance to carry the mortal remains of his younger child back home.

As some people noticed the child sitting there, they informed the local police, who then arranged a vehicle for the family. The Morena district hospital is located about 30km from Badfara village where the family lived.

"As I didn't have money to hire a private ambulance, I was trying to get help. While arranging the vehicle, I asked my elder son to sit with the body on the road," said Poojaram Jatav, the father.

This sparked an outpouring of grief on social media who called it "heartbreaking" and blamed the hospital authorities for being "insensitive" towards the family.

Several political leaders, including Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath and Shiv Sena senior leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, also expressed anguish over the incident.

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HT News Desk
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