Soro: Fearing social stigma, an elderly woman alighted from an ambulance with a dead body here on Thursday.
Initially, it was believed that the staff of the ambulance dumped the body on the roadside as the woman could not pay any money. Most media houses reported it that way. However, clearing all speculation, the woman clarified that she was no way related to the deceased man, identified as Rehman, but had accompanied him to the hospital on humanitarian ground as he was her neighbour.
She carried Rehman’s body in an ambulance after he died at Balasore hospital. However, she asked the ambulance staff to place the body on the roadside before reaching the village – Chintamanipada – fearing social stigma as she was a Hindu while the deceased was a Muslim.
Rejecting to the allegation of the negligence of the ambulance staff, IIC of the local police station said, “Rehman was a native of Allahabad. He was living near the woman’s house in Chintamanipada for the last three or four years after coming there in search of work. She had taken Rehman to the Soro hospital after he suffered from fever. Later, Rehman was referred to Balasore hospital where he died last night.”
“The woman ferried the body in an ambulance. But she asked the ambulance staff to keep the body on the roadside before reaching the village fearing social stigma. She also informed the brother of the deceased person living in Cuttack,” added the police officials.
Kalinga AI