Morgue worker seeks bribe to wrap woman’s body with cloth for handing over to kin; sacked

The authorities of a civic hospital in Navi Mumbai have dismissed a contractual worker from service after he was caught demanding and taking Rs 2,000 bribe from a family for handing over the body of a deceased woman by wrapping it with a cloth following her post-mortem, an official said.

The incident occurred on Monday at the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation-run hospital in Vashi. The video also went viral and action against the worker was taken based on it, the official said.

Talking to reporters, the hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Rajesh Mhatre said, “The contractual worker, aged 32, was posted on duty at the morgue of the hospital. In the viral video, he could be seen demanding Rs 2,000 from a family for wrapping the body of a 27-year-old woman whose post-mortem had been conducted. The family hailed from Kanpur. After the video emerged, the corporation directed the contractor to act against the worker, following which he was dismissed from service," he said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) local office-bearers and workers protested against the incident and garlanded the superintendent with a greige cloth, and said he should apologise to the grieving family.

India