SAHIBGANJ (Jharkhand)– In a deeply distressing incident, a tribal family in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj district was forced to carry the body of their teenage daughter on a cot for over 10 kilometers after a government hospital allegedly refused to provide an ambulance.
The deceased, Badrin Pahadin, belonged to the marginalized Pahariya Janjati community. She was brought to Sadar Hospital in Sahibganj on Monday in critical condition. Due to the lack of road access to their remote village of Lodoni Pahad in Mandro block, the family had already carried her on foot for 10 kilometers to seek medical help. Despite their efforts, she died during treatment at the hospital.
After her death, hospital authorities reportedly declined to provide an ambulance to transport her body home. With no other option, her grieving family placed her body back on the same cot and made the long trek back to their village on foot.
A video of the heartbreaking scene went viral on social media on Wednesday, sparking outrage across the state and beyond.
Reacting sharply, Leader of Opposition and state BJP President Babulal Marandi launched a strong attack on the Jharkhand government and Health Minister Irfan Ansari. Marandi accused the minister of gross negligence and alleged that ambulance services had been handed over to the minister’s close associates. He even claimed that Ansari’s minor son was interfering in the operations of government hospitals.
“This is not just negligence—it’s a cruel injustice to the people of Jharkhand,” Marandi said, calling on Chief Minister Hemant Soren to intervene immediately and order a comprehensive review of the state’s healthcare and ambulance services.
“This is not the first time horrifying images like this have come from Jharkhand,” he added. “Time and again, we’ve seen patients and dead bodies being transported on cots, bicycles, and pushcarts, exposing the ongoing collapse of the healthcare system.”
Marandi urged the government to take concrete action instead of offering empty assurances. “Healthcare is a basic human right. Denying it in this way is nothing short of inhumane,” he said. (Source: IANS)
