The skeletons have neither been burned nor buried.

Highlights Many skeletons were found strewn on the ground, stuffed in sacks

The skeletal remains were lying in a forest area near the hospital

The abandoned skeletons were neither burned nor buried

Skeletal remains have been discovered lying in open in a forest near the government-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, which is coping with hundreds of cases of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES).

An investigation team of the hospital accompanied by policemen visited the spot on Saturday.

Dr Vipin Kumar from the hospital said, "Skeletal remains have been found here. Detailed information will be provided by the principal."

One or two of the dead bodies were found charred and many skeletons were found strewn on the ground or stuffed into sacks in the forest area.

When a hospital receives any dead body, it has to immediately contact the nearest police station and file a report in this connection.

"After post-mortem, all the bodies are dumped in the forest behind the hospital. I never tried to ask the authorities about these skeletons" caretaker of the hospital, Janak Paswan told news agency ANI.

The abandoned skeletons have neither been burned nor buried.

"The post-mortem department takes care of the dead bodies. This is really inhuman if they have dumped the bodies in open. We will ask their department head to call an inquiry regarding the matter" Superintendent SK Shahi told ANI.

It is the duty of the post-mortem department to bury or burn the body.

When a hospital receives any dead body, it has to immediately contact the nearest police station and file a report in this connection. The corpse has to be kept in the post-mortem room for 72 hours after the report has been filed.

If no family member arrives for identification of the body within 72 hours, it is the duty of the post-mortem department to bury or burn the body following the stipulated procedure, Mr Shahi said.