Siwan: The body of a woman was mauled by stray dogs after being left unattended following a post-mortem examination at a government hospital in Bihar’s Siwan district, prompting anger among family members and renewed scrutiny of hospital and police procedures.
The incident occurred at Sadar Hospital in Siwan, where the woman’s body was kept in the open on the hospital premises after the autopsy. With no apparent security or supervision in place, stray dogs attacked the body, causing severe mutilation.
According to the family, the woman, a teacher at Shah Balika Vidyalaya (Shah Girls’ School), had died by suicide a day before her wedding anniversary. After the post-mortem was completed, they allege that no hospital staff ensured the body was moved to a secure location or placed in a morgue.
When relatives arrived to collect the body, they were confronted with what they described as a traumatic and degrading scene. Family members accused hospital authorities of gross negligence, saying the lack of basic safeguards deprived them of the chance to see her face for the last time.
“The body was not kept in a safe place after the post-mortem, nor was there any kind of security arrangement,” a family member said.
Hospital authorities, however, denied responsibility. Dr Anil Kumar, the hospital superintendent, said it was the duty of the police to take custody of the body after the post-mortem. “It is the police’s job to monitor the body after the post-mortem. This is not the hospital’s responsibility,” he said.
The police, meanwhile, distanced themselves from the incident. Siwan’s superintendent of police, Puran Kumar Jha, said he had not been informed about the matter at the time it occurred. “We had no information about this incident. An investigation is being conducted, and further action will be taken after the inquiry,” he said.
The episode has sparked outrage among local residents, who joined the family in demanding strict action against those responsible. The district administration has said an investigation will be carried out, though officials acknowledged that public anger over the incident is unlikely to subside quickly.
The case has raised broader questions about accountability and coordination between hospitals and law enforcement in the handling of bodies, particularly in public healthcare facilities already under strain.
