No Dignity Even In Death! Father Carries Daughter's Body On Shoulder For 10 Kms

The video of a man carrying the body of his seven-year-old daughter on his shoulders has gone viral on the internet, showing a mirror to society that refuses to provide dignity to the dead. The incident took place in Surguja district of Chhattisgarh, on March 25. After the video went viral on social media, the state health minister TS Singh Deo ordered a probe into the case.

Ishwar Das, a resident of the Amdala village, brought his ailing daughter to the health centre on Friday. Reportedly, the girl passed away in the morning at the Community Health Centre of Lakhanpur village. According to the health officials, the father then carried away the body of his daughter before the hearse arrived.

Rural Medical Assistant (RMA) Dr Vinod Bhargav, who is posted in the same health centre, told the media that the deceased girl's oxygen levels were low when she was brought in. She also had a high fever for the last few days. Dr Bhargav said, "Necessary treatment was initiated but her condition deteriorated and she died around 7:30 AM."

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Soon after her death, the family was allegedly told about the hearse, which arrived at 9:20 AM but by then, the family had left with the body.

Father carries body of daughter for 10 kilometres of foot

The video captured that led to noise and then a probe, showed a man carrying his daughter on the shoulders. He walked ten kilometres by foot to reach home. The video was shared widely on social media.

State health minister Deo said, "I saw the video. It was disturbing. I have told the CMHO to take appropriate action after getting the matter probed. I have told that those who are posted there but are not able to discharge their duties should be removed."

The minister also added that the health personnel had "persuaded" the family to wait but they should have ensured for these things to not happen.

Hearse vans are well-equipped vehicle which is used to carry the dead body from the hospital or home to the crematorium. In India, during COVID-19 waves we had heard stories and seen visuals of the shortage of hearse vans and how the bodies of people were being taken or handled.

This video of the man carrying his daughter is haunting too. It shows how lack of resources at public health centres have led to situations like these where the parent, who is already dealing with the emotional trauma of losing a child, has to carry the child home.

The video is not just heart-wrenching, it is a brutal reminder of how we fail the dead and the bereaved in this country every single day. Often we use the term dignity to the dead, but where is it? Do government hospitals in India pay any heed to it? Or have are sensibilities eroded to an extent that we do not even ask how could such an incident happen in 2022? How did the hospital administration fail to convince the father to wait for the hearse? Why did he choose to carry his child on his shoulder for such a long distance? Was there any miscommunication? It feels like there is more to this heartbreaking story than we know right now.

This incident got the administration's attention because it went viral, but there are many such incidents that go unnoticed. Losing a child is hard enough, and while dealing with such a tragedy, the father had to carry the mortal remains of his daughter. Must it take a viral video for a parent to have their grievances addressed by the administration?

While social media can usher in change, we have to address the fact that we shouldn't wait for such gutting images to surface so that the underprivileged in our community have access to basic amenities and are treated with dignity.

Feature Image Credit: ANI