New Delhi: A video has drawn the attention of netizens in which an elderly couple from Bihar is purported to be seen begging on the streets of Samastipur to arrange money to get their son’s body released from a government hospital. According to the video, which has gone viral on social media platforms, the couple who are hard-pressed for money are seen begging on the streets.
The couple's son had been missing for some days and they received a call that he was dead, and that his body was kept at the Sadar Hospital. When they went to the hospital, an employee allegedly asked the hapless parents to pay up Rs 50,000 if they wanted their son's body. The couple claimed that they were forced to beg money to arrange for the Rs 50,000 in exchange for which the hospital would release their son's body, news agency ANI reported.
ALSO READ: Water Supply To Be Hit In Parts Of Delhi From Tomorrow. Check Which Areas Will Be Affected
Speaking to ANI, the deceased’s father Mahesh Thakur said: “Some time ago my son had gone missing. Now, we’ve received a call that my son’s body is at Sadar Hospital in Samastipur. A hospital employee has asked for Rs 50,000 to release my son’s body. We are poor people, how can we pay this amount?"
Taking cognisance of the incident, Dr. SK Chaudhary, civil surgeon, Samastipur, said strict action will be taken against those found guilty. “We will certainly take strict action in this matter. Those found responsible will not be spared," he was quoted as saying in the ANI report.
According to reports, most of the health workers at the hospital work on a contract basis and often don’t receive salaries on time, and there have been several instances in the past when the staff allegedly took money from relatives of patients.
Recently, an executive engineer of the Daudnagar division of the rural works department, Arun Kumar, and cashier Rakesh Kumar Singh were caught by a vigilance team while taking a bribe of Rs 50,000, according to a report in Times of India.