he administration of Nishtar Hospital has come under intense scrutiny after several unidentified and unclaimed bodies were found rotting in the open on the building’s roof.

Police say they had handed over the bodies to the Anatomy Department of Nishtar University. After Chief Minister Parvez Elahi took notice of the issue, two SHOs were suspended from service. Elahi also ordered police to ensure that DNA tests are carried out on the bodies and organise record of the unidentified bodies.

“We have buried 56 bodies after bathing and offering funeral prayers. At least 18 more bodies await burial. Police have collected samples and sent them to the Lahore forensic laboratory to perform DNA tests. All the bodies have been buried in a graveyard adjacent to Nishtar Hospital,” says Edhi Centre official Rana Shafiq. The city police have claimed that the DNA tests have been conducted and police have now received complete record with respect to all the bodies.

According to Police Rules 1934, the burial of unidentified and unclaimed bodies is the sole responsibility of the area police.

Talking to The News on Sunday, Safdar Nazir Qandrani, a retired DSP and senior lawyer, says the police usually take photographs of unclaimed bodies at the time of medical examination or post mortem examination. “They obtain fingerprints by requesting the medical officer to preserve the fingers in a sealed bottle. The police are also required to make public announcements whenever unidentified bodies are found. However, the practice is rare,” he says.

“Police are also responsible for dispatching fingerprints or skin swabs to the NADRA and forensic labs for DNA tests for identification. The search has to continue until the heirs are found or the police have ascertained that no living relatives exist. During this period, the bodies remain in the mortuary of a local hospital. These are then referred to a registered institution or municipal corporation for burial following the funeral rites,” he says.

“If the bodies were dumped on the roof without proper care, this constitutes a crime. If the police did not take the required measure, then they are for abetment under Section 109 CrPC. A case may be initiated against the relevant police officials under Sections 297/34/109 CrPC. Any citizen can file a complaint in a criminal case. They do not have to be related to the deceased,” Qandrani says.

“Mishandling a human corpse is an offence under Section 297 PPC. It is punishable with a one-year prison term. It is a cognizable offence and the police will register a case,” he adds.

Police are also responsible for dispatching fingerprints or skin swabs to the NADRA and forensic labs for DNA tests for identification. The search has to continue until the heirs of the deceased are found or the police can ascertain that no living relatives exist. During this period, the bodies remain in a mortuary at a local hospital. 

The hospital administration says the police have handed over unidentified, unclaimed bodies in the past few months for post mortem examination. “They told us that if required, we could use these for teaching purposes,” the hospital says.

Following Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s orders, nine people have been suspended from service; seven members of the hospital staff and two SHOs.

On receiving reports of abandoned bodies on the hospital roof, the chief minister had ordered his Adviser Chaudhry Tariq Zaman Gujjar to visit to the medical facility and submit a report after reviewing the situation. Social media reports had suggested the presence of hundreds of bodies on the hospital roof. However, only four bodies were found on the roof.

According to a spokesperson for the NMU, four sets of human remains were found on the roof, all largely decomposed.

South Punjab Additional Chief Secretary Saqib Zafar had then directed Specialised Healthcare Secretary Muzamil Bashir to constitute an inquiry committee. A six-member team was then named to investigate the matter. Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has since presented the inquiry report to the chief minister.

Chief Minister Elahi has ordered the removal of the Head of Anatomy Department, Prof Dr Maryam Ashraf; Demonstrator Dr Abdul Wahab and Demonstrator Dr Seerat Abbas from their posts. The Shah Rukn-i-Alam SHO Umar Farooq and Setal Mari SHO Saeed Sial have also been suspended from duty.

Also suspended are Nishtar Medical University Multan employees, Ghulam Abbas, Muhammad Sajjad Nasir and Abdul Rauf. The chief minister has ordered action against the suspended employees under the PEEDA Act.

“None of the bodies belong to Baloch missing persons,” Tariq Zaman Gujjar has stated.

“On the instructions of Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, the district administration took notice and handed over 58 bodies to local police stations. These have been buried in local cemeteries after offering funeral prayers. The Nishtar administration and local police have complete record,” he said. He appreciated Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Rana Altaf for taking quick action over abandoned bodies and cooperating with the inquiry.

Gujjar also said that he had held a meeting with the Multan commissioner, the RPO, the deputy commissioner and the CPO. “We have directed the health secretary to direct the local police stations to bury the abandoned bodies in appropriate graveyards after funeral prayers,” he said.

The writer is bureau chief of The News in Multan. He may be reached at trisign69@yahoo.com