Samastipur: A man was forced to beg to claim his son's body kept at a mortuary in Samastipur district of Bihar because the staffer was asking for Rs 50,000 for handing over the body to the claimant. Unable to pay the hefty amount, the man went out to seek alms from villagers, a video of which has been making rounds on social media.
Jolted by the viral video, the top brass from the administration, including District Magistrate, civil surgeon, ADM and others were on their toes. However, the mortuary employee where the body of the deceased had been kept after the post-mortem examination, went into a denial mode saying that he didn't ask for the money.
post-mortem-worker-asked-50-thousand-for-dead-body-helpless-parents-begging-in-samastipur The post-mortem department employee Nagendra Mallik said in a clarification that it was just a slip of tongue, and the fact was interpreted wrongly. "The corpse was yet to be identified. Hence, I asked the two claimants to go to the police station first to claim the body. Without the police's approval, I didn't allow to take the body. I didn't ask for money. They were asked to bring just polythene sheets and some clothes."
Officiating DM cum Additional District Magistrate, Vinay Kumar Rai, said, "No one asked for the money. The allegation was baseless. After the identification of the body, the corpse was sent to the home. The mortuary employee just said that the body will not be handed over even if someone pays Rs 50,000. Police brought the unclaimed body so get it through police."
Meanwhile, the mentally deranged son of Mahesh Thakur who was missing since May 25, was found dead at a place under Musharigharari police station limits in the Samastipur district of Bihar on June 7. Police later sent the body to Samastipur Sadar Hospital mortuary as no one came forward to claim the body.
