Yash Bhagat (27), a resident of Baramati and a relative of a 57-year-old deceased woman, has lodged a complaint with the police alleging that the family received the wrong body from the mortuary.
A case has been registered at the Koregaon Park police station on Saturday against the administrator and other staffers posted at the mortuary of Ruby Hall Clinic, a private hospital on Bund Garden Road, over charges of violating the dignity of the dead.
According to the first information report (FIR), the woman was admitted to the hospital for treatment and passed away on January 19. Following her death, the family took the body to the mortuary. Later that night, relatives reached the mortuary to collect the body for performing the last rites.
However, the family of the deceased alleges that the mortuary staff handed over another body to the family without verifying the identification tag. Unaware of the mistake, the relatives took the body for cremation. It was only at the cremation ground that they realised the mortal remains were not of their family member.
Shocked, they again reached the mortuary, with the unidentified body and demanded an explanation. It was then that hospital authorities realised the bodies had been exchanged. The mortuary staff subsequently contacted senior officials, following which the correct body was handed over to the family.
"We have registered the case, and further probe is on. We have put charges against the authorities under sections 301 and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)," confirmed senior inspector Vijayraj Doke of the Koregaon Park police.
Responding to the incident, the Legal Advisor of Ruby Hall Clinic, Manjusha Kulkarni, said, "We deeply regret the distress caused by this unintentional incident. The problem had been sorted out. We are fully cooperating with the investigating authorities."
