Too poor to afford ambulance, Uttarakhand woman ties brother's body to taxi roof, travels 195 kms

Haldwani (Uttarakhand): Unable to afford a private ambulance service, a woman took her brother's body, tied to the roof of a taxi, to a village in Pithoragarh district, 195 kilometres away.

Taking cognizance of the incident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had ordered an inquiry into the matter and directed the officials to take strict actions against the culprits.

According to police, Shivani (22), a resident of a village in Berinag lived with her younger brother Abhishek (20).

On Friday, Abhishek came from work early and complained of a headache. He was later found unconscious near a railway track and taken to Sushila Tiwari Government Medical College in Haldwani for treatment. The doctors declared him dead.

After conducting the post-mortem, the police handed over the body to Shivani on Saturday.

She reportedly spoke to many ambulance drivers standing outside the hospital mortuary to take her brother's body home but they asked for Rs 10,000 - 12,000 as fare.

Being unable to arrange for the fare price, she called a taxi driver from her village and was forced to take the body by tying it to the roof of the vehicle and travel 195 kilometres.

When asked about the incident, Dr Arun Joshi, Principal of Sushila Tiwari Government Medical College, said that the incident happened outside the hospital because of which it did not come to his notice.

He said, "If it had happened inside the hospital or if I was asked for help, I would have helped."

The patient's relatives who were standing outside the hospital said that no one supervises private ambulances and they charge exorbitant fares for taking patients.

Dhami has asked the state Health Secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter and take strict action against the culprits, a government spokesperson said.