Mortuaries in Uttar Pradesh are increasingly becoming the ‘feeding grounds’ for rats and mongoose with the rodents found to have nibbled at the eyes, ears, nose and lips of the dead bodies, not only hurting the sentiments of the deceased persons’ families but also compromising the integrity of post-mortem examinations. The latter may also potentially lead to adverse impact on fairness of court trials.
In the last one month, more than a dozen instances have come to light in two mortuaries of the state where soft tissue of the dead bodies have been fed upon.
The latest instance was reported in Jhansi district where rats and mongooses reportedly fed on the eyes and other tissue of a dead body that was kept in the Maharani Lakshmi Bai Medical College’s mortuary for an autopsy. The deceased was 40-year-old Sanjay Jain.
“It was a rude shock for us. It hurt to see my father in such a state. Both his eyes were missing and we were told by the mortuary staff that mongooses and rats might have eaten up the body parts. It’s truly devastating,” said Virendra Jain, Sanjay Jain’s son.
Sanjay Jain, a trader by profession, had died by suicide on December 7. His body was brought to the mortuary of Maharani Lakshmi Bai Medical College for an autopsy which was conducted on December 8.
Following the horrific discovery of the body being mutilated by rodents, the distraught family staged a protest at the mortuary after which the Chief Medical Officer and other officials reached the spot and pacified them.
This was not the first or only such case to be reported at the medical college’s mortuary. According to mortuary staff, this was the third such instance at the premises in the last 25 days.
On December 6, the body of Raunak Rayakvar, who died by suicide aged 16, was brought to the mortuary for post-mortem. “When we reached to collect the body of my daughter, it was found that her ears were missing and some parts of her hand were also found bitten. We were told that mongooses and rats from the neighbouring forest area might have fed on the body. It’s the health department’s apathetic approach towards the dead; it’s sheer mishandling of the dead body,” said Vinod Raikvar, Raunak’s father.
On November 6, rodents are said to have chewed on the body of Satyaprakash Bharti (28), who was found dead in the Yashwantpur Express. Parts of Bharti’s leg had nibble marks on them. The aggrieved family members protested at the mortuary, demanding action against errant staff.
Who is to Blame?
Officials with the health department pointed to the sorry state of the mortuary for the state of affairs. “Rani Lakshmi Bai Medical College is said to be one of the advanced health institutions, but when it comes to the mortuary, the facilities are zero. There is not a single deep freezer at the mortuary, the bodies are kept in the age-old rusted iron box that have developed big holes over the years There are six to seven such battered boxes at the mortuary. We have complained several times but higher officials are least bothered about the upkeep of the mortuary,” a local health official told News18 on condition of anonymity.
According to staffers, such cases are not new for them. In the last one year, several such instances have been reported at the mortuary, but only a few families escalate the issue and a majority of such cases go unreported.
“The situation is even worse for the unclaimed bodies that have to be kept in the mortuary at least for 72 hours (as per law) until they are identified. In such a situation, the rodents or mongooses get enough time to feed on the bodies. It often becomes difficult to identify the bodies,” the official quoted above added.
When questioned, officials with the medical college said the state of the mortuary would be improved. “Possibly the rat entered the mortuary through the manhole net which is broken. We are trying to rope in agencies in order to meet the demand of deep freezers and iron boxes in order to keep the bodies safe at the mortuary,” said chief medical superintendent Dr Sachin Mahaur.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Medical Education Brajesh Pathak, meanwhile, has said that the mishandling of dead bodies at mortuaries will not be tolerated. He said it would be ensured that the mortuaries are maintained well and bodies are handled “in a decent manner”. He added that an inquiry would be ordered against Maharani Lakshmi Bai Medical College for the mishandling of the dead bodies.
Similar Scenes at Lalitpur Mortuary
Cases of a similar nature have also been reported from UP’s Lalitpur district. In one of the recent cases, rats nibbled on the dead body of a 24-year-old woman who had died by suicide on December 2. Following a strong protest by the woman’s family, the district administration formed a three-member committee to probe the issue. Chief Medical Officer Dr Imtiyaz Ahmed told News18 that the findings of the committee will soon be made public.
The inquiry was ordered after the mother of the deceased, identified as Anubha Yadav, lodged a complaint with the Chief Minister’s Office over the mishandling of her daughter’s body. Anubha had died by suicide in Khailar village of Lalitpur district. An FIR has been filed against her husband, Hirdesh Yadav, and three of his family members over alleged dowry death.
Legal Consequences
According to legal experts, the appalling conditions at the mortuaries not only pose a public health risk, but may also jeopardise the integrity of post-mortem examinations, thereby impacting fair trial procedures.
“I stand privy to a number of districts, including Jhansi and Lakhimpur Kheri, where, through various sources and reports, it has been revealed that the mortuaries in question are in an alarming state of disrepair. The unsanitary conditions within these facilities have not only led to the decomposition of deceased bodies, attracting rodents and other vermin but also results in loss of vital organs of human corpses mandating autopsy by these animals of prey. This degradation compromises the accuracy of post-mortem examinations, resulting in potentially misleading and false reports,” said S Mohammed Haider, an advocate with the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court.
Haider further pointed out that ramifications of such conditions are severe as inaccurate post-mortem reports can have a profound impact on legal proceedings and criminal trials, leading to unjust outcomes. Moreover, the lack of proper maintenance and hygiene in mortuaries raises serious ethical concerns and undermines public trust in the judicial system.
“I would implore the State and the Department of Health, headed by a very able minister, to initiate an immediate and thorough investigation into the state of mortuaries and post mortem houses all across the state. It is crucial to address this issue promptly, implementing measures to improve sanitation, pest control, and overall maintenance. By taking swift and decisive actions on this concern, we can safeguard the integrity of the human corpses, authenticity of post-mortem examinations and thereby protect the rights of the deceased, upholding the principles of justice in our society,” he added.
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