Sassoon gives body for funeral before kin arrive

Relatives from Rajasthan cut up about being denied chance to see loved one and perform last rites after his murder

The relatives of a person murdered in the wee hours of Saturday were in for a shock when they reached the city yesterday to claim the body. Authorities at Sassoon General Hospital told them that they had disposed of the body as it had started decomposing.

This happened even after the police had submitted a letter to Sassoon on Saturday requesting them to preserve the body for three days till the relatives of the deceased could reach the city from Rajasthan.

The body of the slain Rafiq Mohammed Sheikh (26) was found near a dargah in Kharadi.

The airport police said Rafiq was murdered between 3 am and 4 am on Saturday.

Rafiq's brother Islam Sheikh said, "I won't be able to see my brother again or perform his last rites. We have to live with this agony for the rest of our life."

Authorities at Sassoon claimed the decision was taken to create room for other bodies.

Head of Forensic Department Dr S B Punpale said, "The body had started decomposing, so we handed it over to the Pune Municipal Corporation to dispose it of along with four other unclaimed bodies."

Though Dr Punpale claimed the body was disposed of to accommodate more, he also said there were only 12 bodies in the cold storage, which could hold 32.

Hospital Dean Dr Arun Jamkar said, "An inquiry committee headed by Superintendent Dr P S Pawar and two other doctors, a pharmacologist and a physiologist will look into the matter. Actually, police should take up the responsibility of handing over the dead bodies to relatives but as they are not available, hospital staff are forced to do it."