Violent protests erupt over autopsy at LNJP

Protests erupted outside Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital (LNJP), over the post mortem examination of a woman, who died from complications emanating from an appendicitis operation. No autopsy was conducted due to the protests. 

Doctors wanted to conduct tests, in order to ascertain the cause of death, which was most likely brought about due to medical negligence. However, the deceased’s family wanted the body back without any such tests. During the ensuing violence, four policemen were injured. 

 

According to police sources, the violence erupted after an alleged call by an Imam of a local mosque, who instigated people to gather at the hospital to oppose the move by doctors to conduct a postmortem of the body. The deceased was identified as Noor Jahan, a native of Uttar Pradesh. She was rushed to the LNJP hospital on 28 February after being operated upon for appendicitis at a UP hospital. As her condition deteriorated in UP, she was referred to the LNJP hospital. She succumbed to the complications arising out of her treatment on Sunday afternoon.

Following her death, the family insisted that they take her body back without conducting a postmortem examination. Doctors at the hospital requested the family to let them conduct an autopsy as a medical examination had been carried out at the time of her admission to the hospital. Postmortem was required to ascertain any negligence on the doctors’ part. The deceased’s family, however, refused to obey their instructions and went on a rampage.

It is said that an Imam, who was present at the hospital, called several people to gather at the hospital to pressurise the doctors. Soon after this, scores of people arrived at the hospital seeking the body, which triggered an outrage between protestors and hospital officials. As the crowd started protesting against the doctors, local police was called and the protestors were evacuated from the hospital. The body was then handed over to the next of kin without any autopsy.

The protestors, meanwhile, resorted to violence at the hospital. They pelted stones at the police and at the hospital, breaking glasses, chairs and damaging two police booths erected at the hospital premises to assist the patents. Meanwhile, several police officers were called to intervene but they were heckled by angry crowds, who even injured four policemen during the commotion.