Denied hearse, Mayurbhanj tribal carries son's body to Baripada bus stand

Locals spotted him when he was going towards Baripada bus stand carrying his son Jogeswar’s body. He was accompanied by his wife and five-year-old daughter.
Tribal man carrying his son's body at Baripada in Odisha on Saturday. (EPS)
Tribal man carrying his son's body at Baripada in Odisha on Saturday. (EPS)

BARIPADA: In a sordid re-run of the story of Dana Majhi, who had to walk a 10-km distance shouldering the body of his wife sparking off widespread outrage, a tribal man from Mayurbhanj district carried his dead son to Baripada bus stand as he was unable to bribe a hearse driver at Pandit Raghunath Murmu Government Medical College and Hospital (MCH), here on Saturday.

Despite provisions for transporting bodies from State-run hospitals after the infamous Dana Majhi incident in Kalahandi, Bajun Soren (57) of Kalagini village under Chandua police limits was allegedly denied the facility at the Government Medical College and Hospital.

Bajun said he decided to carry the body of his three-year-old son to the bus stand and board a passenger vehicle to his native place after the driver of Swarga Rath, a hearse at the hospital, demanded `400 as bribe.

Locals spotted him when he was going towards Baripada bus stand carrying his son Jogeswar’s body. He was accompanied by his wife and five-year-old daughter.

Jogeswar died while undergoing treatment at the MCH on Friday night but Bajun had to wait at the hospital till morning to avail the free transportation facility.

However, when he approached the hearse driver, he asked for money stating that nothing is free of cost.
“Jogeswar fell unconscious while playing with his friends on Friday. We immediately brought him to the hospital where he died at about 12.30 am,” Bajun said.

The father could not spell out the reason attributed to his son’s death. However, the doctors allegedly said no autopsy is required and suggested him to take the body. Since it was night, he waited till the morning.
After the hearse service declined to take him to the bus stop, the family had no alternative as it did not have enough money to pay for an auto-rickshaw. “So we deiced to walk till the bus stand and catch a bus to our destination,” a traumatised Bajun said.

However, the locals arranged an ambulance till his village. By that time, Bajun had already walked around 1.5 km from the hospital.

Contacted, Medical Superintendent Narendra Nath Soren said he was unaware of the incident since he was out of station on official work. He assured of inquiring into the matter and taking disciplinary action against the driver, if found guilty.

The State Government has a Mahaprayan scheme offering free hearse service from State-run hospitals. It has directed all hospitals not to allow bodies to leave the hospital without proper verification but such incidents continue to make headlines.

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The New Indian Express
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