Morena: An eight-year-old boy was seen outside a hospital in Madhya Pradesh holding his two-year-old brother's dead body. He was waiting for his father to come back with an ambulance so that they could take the body home.
The incident has gone viral on social media and led to outrage. Home Minister Narottam Mishra said a show-cause notice has been issued to the Morena district hospital's civil surgeon. The district panchayat CEO has been instructed to conduct a probe and submit a report by Monday evening.
The father and son arrived in Morena for the treatment of the younger child Raja from Badfara village. They were referred from a hospital in Ambah town. The toddler died during the treatment due to anaemia and other diseases on Sunday afternoon.
As the ambulance in which they arrived had returned to Ambah, the father Pujaram Jatav had to search for a vehicle to take them home which is 30 km away. He was gone for hours.
While he went looking for an ambulance, the eight-year-old boy sat along the boundary wall of the hospital. He had his younger brother's body on his lap which was covered with a white cloth.
After the video clip was circulated on social media, people blamed the authorities for being "insensitive".
Morena District Hospital's resident medical officer Surendra Gurjar said the father asked hospital staff for an ambulance but one wasn't available at the time. After the intervention of some locals, a police vehicle carried the family home.
Minister Mishra said financial assistance will be provided to the family. He added that the government has taken the incident "very seriously".