Nightmare of negligence: Medical College in Kerala dumps bodies in the open

Instead of burying or cremating the bodies, they had been dumped in a pit.

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A small boy who was playing near a vacant plot of land next to the Kozhikode Medical College was in for a shock on Monday evening. As he ran to fetch his ball, he saw what looked like the rotten part of a human body and alerted older boys playing nearby. This soon led to the discovery of what looked like the scene of some horrible, grisly crime.

Bodies and dismembered organs piled together in a large square pit. There were some truly nightmarish sights like a dismembered head with the top of the skull sawed off. Gloves could also be seen along with the body parts.

Authorities believe that the Kozhikode Medical College instead of cremating or burying dead bodies used for medical research in the institution, had simply dumped them into the hole.

As many as 30 dead bodies reportedly used by the Anatomy department were found from two large holes in a one acre plot near the chemical lab.



The rules state that medical colleges must have a dedicated burial ground to dispose dead bodies used for research, and that a deep pit must be dug to bury them. While they had dug a pit, the pit was left uncovered.



“A small boy who ran behind a ball saw the bodies first. He came and called us. When we went near we saw dogs trying to take parts away. It was very scary,” one of the older boys told Manorama TV.

Many gloves were also disposed in the hole



According to Corporation Health Officer Dr Gopakumar, the Medical College officials left the pit uncovered since the body parts had been immersed in formalin. The chemical is used to prevent dead bodies from decaying.



"Kozhikode Medical College officials say that since the dead bodies had been immersed in formalin, the pit was left uncovered so that the sunlight would help in decaying the bodies fast. But then it was an irresponsible thing to do. Although there are walls surrounding the burial ground that prevent the public from entering the area, one of the walls had crashed. That's how the general public got access to the ground," Dr Gopakumar said.



He added that the medical college had been disposing off the dead bodies used for research in this same ground since its beginning sixty years ago. Dr Gopakumar said that the Corporation has issued a show cause notice to the medical college.

"Depending on their response, we will decide what needs to be done. Legal action can be taken against them, but it all depends on their response," he said.

Another officer added that open dumping of bodies in a residential area was a dangerous thing to do.

Saying that there had been laxity on the party of the medical college officials, Health Minister KK Shylaja ordered an inquiry into the incident. Medical Education Director has been asked to inquire and submit a report on the matter.