Mirzapur (UP), February 10 Family members of a man whose body was kept in the mortuary of a divisional hospital here alleged that it had been gnawed on by rats and that this had created a mess on the premises.
Hospital authorities, who arrived at the scene on Monday, assured the family that the matter would be investigated and that action would be taken against any employees found negligent.
According to officials, Abhishek Mali (26), a resident of the Tarakpur area, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself on Sunday morning. The police conducted the inquest proceedings and later kept the body in the hospital mortuary.
The family members claimed that they had requested the hospital administration to place the body in a freezer, but were told that the freezer was not functioning and that the body was instead kept on ice.
When the family arrived at the hospital on Monday morning to take the body, they noticed several wounds on it and alleged that these were caused by rats. The hospital authorities said that they have constituted a committee to investigate the matter.
Chief Medical Superintendent Sachin Kishore said, "An investigation will be conducted, and appropriate action will be taken against any staff found responsible."
"We will investigate the matter and determine how the wounds appeared on the body," he said.
Chief Medical Officer Sunil Singh said that while some wounds were found on the body, it could not be conclusively said that they were caused by rats.