Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR: Amid the agony and desperation of people searching for the dead body of their kin, authorities managing the identification and handover of the bodies are now faced with a new problem of multiple claimants of train accident victims.
A youth from West Bengal travelled to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar on Tuesday only to find that the body of his father has been handed over to another family. Parvej Sahraj Laskar from Jaynagar under South 24 Praganas along with his cousin Jakari Laskar had first gone to Balasore to find the whereabouts of his father Abubakkar Laskar who was travelling in the Coromandel Express on June 2.
After looking for him at nearby hospitals, both managed to identify him from the photos of the bodies that were retrieved from the doomed train. However, by the time they could approach authorities at Balasore, the body had already been shifted to Bhubaneswar.
The duo then reached Bhubaneswar and visited AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Tuesday to submit relevant documents in support of the identification and receive the body. But, they were reportedly told that the body has already been claimed by another family and handed over to them on Monday.
Jakaria said when they showed the photo of his uncle’s body with the tag number at the mortuary, they were told that the body has already been handed over to another family in Malda. “They are now asking us to give our DNA sample for matching but what is its use if the body has already been handed over to another family,” Jakaria said.
Multiple cases of such claims surfaced at hospitals across the city on Tuesday. Fani Mandal from West Bengal also brought similar allegations. He alleged that though his family identified the photo of his brother-in-law Nitam Ray (27), who died in the train mishap, they did not get the body for the last four days. “Authorities should tell what happened to the body,” Mandal told mediapersons.
“Hand over of bodies without matching the DNA samples in some cases might be causing such problem,” pointed out a student volunteer at one of the health facilities.
While AIIMS-Bhubaneswar authorities couldn’t be reached for a response, BMC commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange said, “The bodies have been handed over only after doctors have verified the claims. Out of 193 bodies kept in hospitals of Bhubaneswar, 104 have already been handed over. DNA samples have been received for matching in 33 cases,” Kulange said.
The staff of the help desk at AIIMS said the verification through DNA samples may take around five days.
Help desks set up at airport, rail stations and bus stands
Police have set up help desks at BPIA, railway station and Baramunda bus stand to facilitate families and relatives of Bahanaga rail accident victims arriving in the state capital to take possession of their loved ones’ bodies.
The families are being taken to the BMC control room in government transport for assistance and later to hospitals where the bodies have been preserved. Help desks have also been set up in six hospitals where the bodies have been preserved.
“BMC officials and police are deployed at help desks in the hospitals to assist family members and relatives of the victims,” said DCP Prateek Singh. Thorough verification of the claimants is being carried out before handing them over the bodies of their family members or relatives.
“We are contacting police of states like West Bengal and Bihar whenever their natives are coming to take possession of the victim’s bodies to ensure that the details provided by him/her are true,” said the DCP.
BHUBANESWAR: Amid the agony and desperation of people searching for the dead body of their kin, authorities managing the identification and handover of the bodies are now faced with a new problem of multiple claimants of train accident victims.
A youth from West Bengal travelled to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar on Tuesday only to find that the body of his father has been handed over to another family. Parvej Sahraj Laskar from Jaynagar under South 24 Praganas along with his cousin Jakari Laskar had first gone to Balasore to find the whereabouts of his father Abubakkar Laskar who was travelling in the Coromandel Express on June 2.
After looking for him at nearby hospitals, both managed to identify him from the photos of the bodies that were retrieved from the doomed train. However, by the time they could approach authorities at Balasore, the body had already been shifted to Bhubaneswar. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
The duo then reached Bhubaneswar and visited AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Tuesday to submit relevant documents in support of the identification and receive the body. But, they were reportedly told that the body has already been claimed by another family and handed over to them on Monday.
Jakaria said when they showed the photo of his uncle’s body with the tag number at the mortuary, they were told that the body has already been handed over to another family in Malda. “They are now asking us to give our DNA sample for matching but what is its use if the body has already been handed over to another family,” Jakaria said.
Multiple cases of such claims surfaced at hospitals across the city on Tuesday. Fani Mandal from West Bengal also brought similar allegations. He alleged that though his family identified the photo of his brother-in-law Nitam Ray (27), who died in the train mishap, they did not get the body for the last four days. “Authorities should tell what happened to the body,” Mandal told mediapersons.
“Hand over of bodies without matching the DNA samples in some cases might be causing such problem,” pointed out a student volunteer at one of the health facilities.
While AIIMS-Bhubaneswar authorities couldn’t be reached for a response, BMC commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange said, “The bodies have been handed over only after doctors have verified the claims. Out of 193 bodies kept in hospitals of Bhubaneswar, 104 have already been handed over. DNA samples have been received for matching in 33 cases,” Kulange said.
The staff of the help desk at AIIMS said the verification through DNA samples may take around five days.
Help desks set up at airport, rail stations and bus stands
Police have set up help desks at BPIA, railway station and Baramunda bus stand to facilitate families and relatives of Bahanaga rail accident victims arriving in the state capital to take possession of their loved ones’ bodies.
The families are being taken to the BMC control room in government transport for assistance and later to hospitals where the bodies have been preserved. Help desks have also been set up in six hospitals where the bodies have been preserved.
“BMC officials and police are deployed at help desks in the hospitals to assist family members and relatives of the victims,” said DCP Prateek Singh. Thorough verification of the claimants is being carried out before handing them over the bodies of their family members or relatives.
“We are contacting police of states like West Bengal and Bihar whenever their natives are coming to take possession of the victim’s bodies to ensure that the details provided by him/her are true,” said the DCP.
