‘Direct assault on dignity’: Haryana Human Rights Commission slams state after family is forced to carry woman’s body on a pushcart

The Commission, headed by Justice Lalit Batra, described the incident as a “direct assault on human dignity, constitutional values and the very concept of a Welfare State”.

In its order, released Friday, the Full Commission, comprising Chairperson Justice Batra and Members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia, observed that the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution is not confined merely to existence but also includes the right to live and die with dignity.

“Forcing a family to transport a dead body in degrading conditions due to poverty reflects a serious abdication of the State’s constitutional and moral responsibilities”, it said.

Referring to the circumstances described in the news report, the Commission noted that the motorised cart was being driven by the woman’s elderly father-in-law and that her husband and mother-in-law were walking alongside. The panel also noted that the woman’s seven-year-old son was “holding tightly onto the sheet covering his mother’s body to prevent it from being blown away by the wind”.

“Such scenes compel deep introspection for any civilised and sensitive society,” it said.

The Commission also expressed grave concern over statements made by health officials claiming that government ambulances are not meant for transporting dead bodies.

According to the Commission, such statements reveal a policy vacuum and administrative insensitivity. The Commission clarified that the real issue is not whether the family made a request, but whether the State has any assured, accessible and dignified mechanism for transporting the bodies of deceased persons belonging to economically weaker families.

Not an isolated incident, but a systemic failure

The Commission observed that similar incidents have repeatedly surfaced across the country, where impoverished families are forced to transport sick relatives or their bodies using carts, rickshaws, motorcycles or other makeshift means.

“Such incidents are not isolated lapses but reflect a deep-rooted systemic failure of the health and administrative framework,” it said.

The Commission categorically stated that no welfare state can permit poverty to determine how a citizen’s body is treated after death. “Ensuring dignity in death is not an act of charity but a constitutional and human rights obligation,” it said.

The Commission noted that the Haryana Government already provides free ambulance services for pregnant women to and from civil hospitals. On the same lines, the Commission has recommended that the Haryana Health Department frame a policy ensuring that in cases where a patient from an economically weaker family dies during treatment in any civil hospital, the body is transported to the house of the deceased free of cost and in a dignified manner.

Dr Puneet Arora, Assistant Registrar, HHRC, said the Commission has directed the additional chief secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Haryana; director general, Health Services, Haryana; and the civil surgeon and chief medical officer, Faridabad, to submit their respective action taken reports at least one week prior to the next date of hearing.

The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for April 2, 2026.