No Humanity After Death: Man Forced To Carry Niece's Dead Body On Shoulders In MP

In a harrowing incident, in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur, a poor family had to bring the dead body of a four-year-old girl on their shoulders for over five kilometres. The grandparents, parents and other family members of the girl were seen screaming and crying on the road with not a single person coming to their help as many made videos of them.  Wondering what happened to humanity? 

Man Carries Niece's Dead Body On Shoulders 

During her treatment at Damoh Hospital three days ago, the girl succumbed to her ailments. Members of the family, regardless of their continuous requests to the district hospital authorities, were denied a vehicle to take the body to their village for cremation. Even the panchayat did not aid them at all. 

Reports have brought to light that the child’s parents took her to a doctor who deceived them. Despite the doctor, telling them to take her to Damoh for further treatment, a private practitioner at the hospital refused to take up the case. The family, hassled, rushed the girl to the district hospital where she was declared dead. 

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In a similar incident in March this year, in a viral video a man who was found carrying the body of his seven-year-old daughter on his shoulders served as a mirror to society that is disinclined to provide basic dignity to the dead. The incident took place in the Surguja district of Chhattisgarh, on March 25. Since the video went viral on social media, the state health minister TS Singh Deo mandated an investigation into the case.

In the past according to ANI reports, in another shocking incident, a father in Odisha's Angul village was forced to carry the dead body of his daughter for 15 km after hospital authorities denied providing a coffin to the family members of the deceased. During Covid-19 at its peak, some dead bodies floated in the Ganges while others fought against each other for pyre spaces. 

The was no vaccine, medical aid, resources, treatment and even cremation. In a recent case, Sidhu Moose Wala's body was taken for cremation on a trolley decorated with flowers and pulled by a tractor, reportedly, the Punjabi singer's favourite one. For the unversed, Moose Wala's parents had been planning for his wedding.

The Apex Court of India in the landmark case of Parmanand Katara v. Union of India in 1989, recognised that the right to life, including fair treatment and dignity should not only be preserved for someone alive but also for someone dead. Further, the recognition of post-mortem legal rights gives the dead consequential moral status within our legal system. These rights have been derived from Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The law also perseveres to honour a decedent’s wishes and protect their interests. 

It is a shame on the system that there was no ambulance service to carry a dead body of a four-year-old.

The views expressed are the author's own.