Major goof-up: Dead man returns home week after his funeral
A 40-year-old man named Omkar Lal Gadulia presumed dead showed up much to the surprise of his family, a week after they had performed a funeral mistakenly identifying a decomposed corpse as his body. Gadulia, a liquor addict, had gone to Udaipur without informing his family on May 11. He was admitted to a hospital owing to some liver-related problem.
Hospital had declared another patient's body as unidentified
On the same day, another man Goverdhan Prajapat was taken from the Mohi area to the state-run RK Hospital by an ambulance service arranged by some public representatives for some treatment. According to the police, Prajapat died during the treatment. The hospital declared his body unidentified. Later, Gadulia's relatives wrongly took possession of that body at Rajsamand District in Rajasthan.
Police circulated photographs of the deceased for identification
"We had received a letter from the hospital authorities that a body was lying unclaimed at the mortuary for three days. We then circulated photographs of the deceased man on various fronts to identify the body," Kankroli Police Station SHO Yogendra Vyas told PTI.
Family wrongly identified body as that of Gadulia
Vyas said that over a dozen people came to the hospital on May 15 to identify the body. The police was informed about it and the family members gave in-writing to hand over the body to them without conducting any post-mortem. The family members wrongly identified the body to be that of Gadulia going by a similar scar on his right hand and appearance.
Family took the body and performed final rites
The police handed over the body without conducting any post-mortem and a DNA test. Vyas said, "The body was identified by the family. DNA testing and post-mortem by a medical board are conducted when the body is unidentified following which the body is usually handed over to municipality for cremation." The body was taken away and final rites were performed on May 15 itself.
Police launched an investigation after Gadulia showed up
However, Gadulia returned home on May 23 and was shocked to learn that he was believed dead. Later, the police launched an investigation and identified the body which Gadulia's family had cremated as that of Goverdhan Prajapat. "Police was nowhere at fault in this case. The body was declared unidentified by the hospital authorities," Vyas said.
Prajapat's three children are staying at a welfare home
"The incident took place due to lack of coordination between the nursing and mortuary staff. Appropriate action will be taken in the matter," Purohit said. The police said, "Prajapat is survived by three children, who had been sent to welfare home after his health deteriorated. His wife had left him due to his health issues."
'Incident was a goof-up on part of nursing, mortuary staff'
Meanwhile, the hospital authorities admitted that the whole incident was a goof-up on part of nursing and mortuary staff. Principal Medical Officer of RK Hospital, Lalit Purohit said, "There was a huge patient load. The patient was admitted to the hospital through 108 ambulance service."
