Eyes Stolen From Dead Child’s Body In Odisha Mortuary

Angul: In a glaring instance of utter negligence, eyes of a child kept in the mortuary of Angul district headquarters hospital were found to be missing.

The father of the four-year-old girl has lodged a police complaint in this regard.

According to reports, Anjan Gochhayat of Nuahata village under Banarpal police limits in Angul district had got his daughter admitted to the district headquarters hospital in an acute asthmatic condition at around 9.30 pm on Thursday. She later succumbed to her illness.

The body was then kept in the mortuary of the hospital for postmortem.

While the body was being brought out of mortuary for postmortem on Friday morning, the father, to his utter shock, found that the eyes of his dead daughter had been gouged out and there were severe bruises on her nose.

Asked about the matter, ASI of Banarpal police station, Ritarani Pradhan, said she had no knowledge about the incident. “The father of the deceased, in a complaint, has stated about the death of his ailing daughter Preeti in the district headquarters hospital. As this was an unnatural death (UD) case, I had come to the hospital for investigation,” she said.

IIC of Angul police station said the hospital authorities had kept the body in the mortuary for postmortem. Asked about the missing eyes, he said the hospital authorities would be able to provide the details.

Following the incident, the family members of the deceased and some villagers staged a dharna before the office of the chief district medical officer (CDMO), demanding a thorough investigation into the incident and immediate arrest of the culprit.

The hospital authorities could not be contacted despite several attempts.