Kolhapur: A case of gross negligence at Satara Civil Hospital came to light on Tuesday after the body of a 26-year-old accident victim was mistakenly handed over to the relatives of a 51-year-old man, leading to the cremation of the wrong body being halted midway at a crematorium in Arale village. The half-burnt body was later found lying on the pyre with charred wood still around it.Hospital authorities have suspended two staffers from the postmortem department, and an inquiry has been initiated. A similar body mix-up had occurred a few weeks earlier, but that error was corrected immediately after families alerted the administration.According to officials, 26-year-old Anand Ovhal from Wai had been undergoing treatment for injuries from an accident for the past 10 days. He died on Monday night, and his autopsy was conducted the same night. Around the same time, 51-year-old Suresh Khomane of Arale village, near Satara, also passed away, and his postmortem was performed.On Tuesday morning, Khomane’s relatives inadvertently took Ovhal’s body, officials said. Later, Ovhal’s family was asked to collect “the only body remaining in the mortuary”. The body was actually Khomane’s.Ganesh Jagtap, cousin of Ovhal, said hospital staff refused to allow them to identify the body, claiming only close kin were permitted. “After reaching Wai, we uncovered the face and realised it wasn’t Anand. We immediately returned to Satara and found that Anand’s body had been taken by someone else and cremated. We want justice for my uncle and aunt who lost their only son,” he said.Khomane’s relatives did not arrive to claim the body brought back by Ovhal’s family. The police went to Arale, where some local residents said the pyre had been burning for about 10 minutes before officers intervened and ordered the fire to be stopped.Civil surgeon Yuvraj Karpe said the hospital protocol requires bodies to be handed over to the police after postmortem. The police then hand them over to relatives. “We have records of the bodies being given to the police. It appears the relatives of the 51-year-old man failed to identify the body and took the body of the 26-year-old by mistake. We have suspended two staffers and will seek guidance from senior officials on further action,” he said.Satara city police assistant inspector Avinash Mane said the relatives of the accident victim had gone to take custody of the body. “The relatives of the 51-year-old will collect the other body from the hospital. We have deployed police personnel at Arale village. Action will be taken according to law if any negligence is established,” he added.
