Image showing a hospital. For representational purposes.
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Kochi: The son of a Bengaluru native, whose suspected body was found in a forested area near the HMT premises here, alleged on Monday that his father's death was due to the negligence of Ernakulam Government Medical College authorities.
Santon told reporters that Suraj Lama (59), who suffered from memory loss, would not have died had they not discharged him.
Lama, who ran a restaurant in Kuwait, reportedly developed memory impairment following methanol poisoning and was deported in early October. He arrived at Kochi airport on October 5 and was admitted to Ernakulam Medical College in Kalamassery.
However, he went missing after being discharged from the hospital on October 10. Santon, who reached Kochi and searched for his father, later filed a habeas corpus petition in the Kerala High Court, which directed the police to form a special investigation team to locate the missing man.
Police officials said CCTV footage showed Lama was last seen near the HMT area, and a search led to the recovery of a decomposed body. The clothing recovered matched what Lama was last seen wearing, they said.
“My brother saw the body — it is beyond recognition. I saw the photograph. We cannot identify him,” Santon said, adding that they will wait for DNA confirmation. He alleged that the hospital acted irresponsibly in discharging his father despite knowing his condition.
“I have a medical certificate from the Kuwait government stating that my father is mentally challenged. How can the hospital say he requested discharge? How did they let him go in that condition?” he asked. He said the body has now been taken to the same Medical College for further formalities. “I will move the High Court seeking to shift the procedures elsewhere. I want a second medical opinion before any conclusion,” he said.
Santon also criticised immigration officials and airport authorities for allegedly failing to notice his father's mental condition upon arrival. “Nobody cared. How come an Indian citizen is treated like this? We are from a freedom fighters’ family,” he said.
Maintaining that the police tried their best, he said searches were conducted earlier in the same region with dog squads based on the High Court’s direction. “But the body was found just a short distance away from where we checked,” he said. Medical College authorities said the allegations would be examined, and all admission and discharge records would be verified.