Human skeletons found near SKMCH part of mortal remains of unclaimed bodies: Muzaffarpur DM

MUZAFFARPUR: The Muzaffarpur district administration on Saturday clarified that the human skeletons, which were recovered from behind the building of the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) at Muzaffarpur, were mortal remains of unclaimed bodies, disposed off by the hospital authority after completing the legal formalities.
Muzaffarpur district magistrate Alok Ranjan Ghosh also denied the report that it had any connection with the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), which has gripped most parts of the district these days.“I ordered an investigation soon after the reports of recovery of human skeletons reached my office. The sub-divisional officer and the city SP were asked to probe the matter and submit their report,” the DM said.
The joint report of the two senior officials revealed that the skeletons were mortal remains of the unclaimed bodies, which were disposed of after completing the legal formalities by the police and the hospital authorities. “As per the rule, the bodies of unidentified persons are disposed off after preserving them for 72 hours in the mortuary. The district administration provides Rs 2,000 for cremation of such bodies,” he added.
Ghosh said that the practice of disposing off the unclaimed bodies behind the building of the SKMCH had been going on since long. “As the cremation site is at stone’s throw distance from the hospital, it always creates confusion. Now the administration has decided to shift the place of cremation of unclaimed bodies at Dadar Ghat with immediate effect,” said Alok Ranjan Ghosh over phone.
The unidentified bodies of children below the age of five years and those of the Muslims are buried, the bodies of the Hindus are consigned to flames after registering cases of unnatural death (UD) at the respective police stations. In this case also, the skeletons belonged to the Hindus and so the mortal remains were consigned to flames, Ghosh disclosed.
A similar incident had happened in the district headquarters town, around 80km north of Patna, about five years ago. The controversy was set to rest after the district administration unraveled the truth after investigation.
Sona Singh, the station house officer of Ahiyapur police station under whose jurisdiction the SKMCH falls, said that a police team along with the officials of the hospital visited the site earlier in the day after the rumours spread in the locality. “There is no question of seizure of the human remains and sending them to the forensic laboratory for test. The mortal remains had been consigned to flames as per the law,” he said.
Earlier, the superintendent of the SKMCH Dr SK Shahi had asked the district magistrate to conduct a detailed investigation into the recovery of the human skeletons. “I have requested from the district magistrate to get the matter probed by any competent authority to clear the mist over the controversy. The report is awaited,” Dr Shahi said.
He, however, clarified that it was the responsibility of the principal of the medical college to properly dispose of the bodies for which no claimants had turned up at the mortuary. The photographs and other belongings of the deceased were safely stored at police stations.
According to locals, one or two of the bodies were found to be charred, while many skeletons were found strewn on the ground or stuffed into plastic sacks in the forest area near the hospital.