Accident victim's body left on road amid jurisdiction dispute
What's the story
In a shocking display of apathy, the body of 27-year-old Rahul Ahirwar was left unattended on a road for over four hours after a fatal accident.
The incident took place while Ahirwar was on his way to Delhi and was hit by an unidentified vehicle.
The accident site turned into a bone of contention between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh police forces, delaying the removal of Ahirwar's body from the scene.
Public outrage
Residents protest, block road over police inaction
Eyewitnesses to the accident immediately informed the Harpalpur police station in Madhya Pradesh.
However, on reaching the spot, they argued it fell under Mahobkanth police station in Uttar Pradesh and left without taking any action.
The Uttar Pradesh police also refused to take responsibility when contacted, claiming it was Madhya Pradesh's job to deal with it.
This prompted angry locals to block the road in protest with Ahirwar's body still lying on the spot.
Family's distress
Family's plea for swift autopsy and identification of culprit
The kin of the deceased have demanded a swift autopsy to conduct last rites. They also demanded that the vehicle involved in the crash be traced.
Ramdeen, a relative of Ahirwar, said in anguish, "My cousin died of an accident. This area falls under Madhya Pradesh, but the body has been on the road for hours now because no one is ready to take responsibility."
Late action
Police finally remove body, traffic resumes
Reportedly, the accident happened around 7:00pm however, it was only around 11:00pm that Madhya Pradesh police finally removed Ahirwar's body for autopsy.
Only after this intervention did traffic resume.
The family disclosed that Ahirwar had recently gotten married and was on his way to Delhi to work as a laborer when the tragic incident occurred.