The body of a deceased woman was allegedly transported from a government hospital in a municipal garbage vehicle in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur after the family was unable to arrange a hearse, exposing a basic infrastructure gap at a civil hospital where authorities admit that a dedicated vehicle for the purpose has been sought repeatedly but not provided.
The incident occurred at the Bada Malhera Civil Hospital after the body of Rukhsana Khan, who had been missing since July 4, was recovered from a garbage dump on the Surajpur Road area on August 5. Police suspect she was murdered and sent her body to the hospital for a post-mortem examination.
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After the procedure, her family waited for a vehicle to take the body home but, according to her husband Babalesh Ahirwar, was eventually given a municipal tractor-trolley.
‘Every person deserves dignity…’
Ahirwar alleged that the vehicle provided was one used for garbage collection, adding the family waited for hours for a hearse. “Every person wants dignity, if not in life then at least after death. It was very painful to see my wife’s body being taken in a garbage vehicle,” he said.
The hospital administration has not disputed that it does not have a dedicated hearse. Bada Malhera Block Medical Officer (BMO) Dr Hemant Maraiya said the requirement for a hearse van had been raised several times at district-level meetings, but the facility had not received one because the required budget or approval under the relevant head had not been sanctioned.
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We don’t have a hearse van so we depend on the Nagar Parishad. During a recent District Health Society (DHS) meeting, we asked for a hearse van. I hope that we will get it in the future as this will do a lot of good for the public at large,” Dr Maraiya said.
The Chhatarpur administration, meanwhile, has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Officials said action would be taken after the facts were established.
Police suspect the woman was murdered and sent her body to the hospital for a post-mortem examination. (File) 
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