Taking serious note of an incident in which a body was reportedly left lying outside the mortuary at Samrala Civil Hospital, the Punjab State and Chandigarh (UT) Human Rights Commission has initiated suo motu proceedings and sought an explanation from the district health authorities.The incident triggered public outrage and raised concerns. (HT File)The commission acted on a media report which highlighted allegations that hospital staff failed to shift a body into the mortuary, leaving it in the open. The incident triggered public outrage and raised concerns.In its order issued on July 28, the commission, comprising chairperson justice Sant Parkash, member justice Gurbir Singh and member Jitender Singh Shunty observed that the reported incident reflected alleged negligence on the part of the hospital administration and amounted to a matter affecting human dignity.The commission noted that while hospitals claim to provide quality healthcare services to the living, the reported failure to ensure dignity for a deceased person was a matter of grave concern. Taking suo motu cognisance of the issue, it directed the civil surgeon, Ludhiana, to submit a detailed report one week before the next hearing scheduled for August 20.Copies of the order have also been forwarded to the director, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, for information and necessary action.The case relates to the death of Juna Pandey, a resident of Himmat Nagar, Samrala, whose body was brought to the Civil Hospital for postmortem examination. Family members alleged that the body remained outside the mortuary for a prolonged period, causing them immense distress and sparking criticism of the hospital’s handling of the situation.Meanwhile, senior medical officer Dr Gurtejinder Kaur has already constituted a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the matter. The hospital administration has stated that CCTV footage and other evidence are being examined and that appropriate action will be taken if lapses are found.