THRISSUR: For Vijisha and her only daughter Arya, the news of the death of Vijisha’s husband Ajith and his cremation was shocking. Residents of Aryampadam in Thrissur, the mother and daughter had been on a search for Ajith, 62, who had memory loss and had gone missing from Ernakulam General Hospital.
Ajith was said to have died about a week ago at a care home at Mulanthuruthy in Ernakulam, but they came to know about it only on Wednesday. The family, which raised some doubts, submitted a complaint to the Ernakulam Rural SP on Thursday alleging that the care home authorities did not follow the norms regarding unclaimed bodies.
Arya said, “As my mother was a daily wage worker, it was difficult for us to manage my father due to his memory loss. We decided to shift him to the house of our relatives who promised to look after him. We reported this to the police there. When it became difficult for them to take care of him, he was shifted to an old age home. His health worsened and he was admitted to Ernakulam General Hospital with severe incontinence on October 23. The old age home authorities informed us about this. Suddenly, one week later, he went missing.”
Vijisha and Arya visited the General Hospital and sought information about Ajith. While the hospital staff had no clue about his whereabouts, a woman there told them that he was shifted to a care home named Bethlahem at Mulanthuruthy. “We somehow got the contact number of the care home and called them up. They asked us to come and meet Ajith. We went there on Wednesday to receive the shocking news about my father’s death,” said Arya.
The family alleged that the care home authorities told them that Ajith died on November 13. They said they advertised his death in a local newspaper on November 14 and since nobody claimed the body, it was cremated on November 15.
“It is suspicious. As per norms, the body should have been kept for 15 days after giving the advertisement for someone to claim it. Otherwise, the local body concerned has the responsibility of burying or cremating the body. Moreover, an autopsy should have been conducted. None of this was done,” she said. She said they had the right to know the cause of her father’s death. “Besides, when there is a crematorium at Mulanthuruthy, the care home is said to have cremated my father in a faraway location, which is again suspicious,” she added. It is alleged that the care home had cremated 19 people in a similar fashion.