Four senior doctors, who also function as the directors of Orison Hospital, have been named in the FIR following the body mix-up involving two women at the private facility.
The case was initially registered against unidentified hospital staff and administrators. (HT File)
The case was initially registered against unidentified hospital staff and administrators. On Saturday, police nominated Dr Nirmaljit Singh Malhi, Dr Sunil Mittal, Dr Rajeev Grover and Dr Manisha Mittal as accused.
The development follows a complaint filed by Jaswant Singh Sandhu, husband of the 72-year-old deceased woman whose body was wrongly cremated, to the commissioner of police. The complaint cites institutional failure and medical and administrative negligence, asserting that decisions regarding treatment protocols, patient safety, post-death handling of bodies and record maintenance fall under the authority of the hospital management. Investigators said acts such as suppression and manipulation of medical records could not have been carried out without the approval, instructions or negligence of the directors.
The complainant also raised concerns that hospital authorities are not providing CCTV footage to the families, which police said could contain evidence relevant to the investigation.
Confirming the development, Sarabha Nagar SHO sub-inspector Aditya Sharma said, “During the course of the probe, we identified the hospital directors as the main accused and formally named them in the FIR.”
The FIR has been registered under Sections 305, 314 and 316(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The case involves Jasbir Kaur of Moga and Manju Diwan of Tagore Nagar, Ludhiana. Following the incident, Jasbir Kaur Sandhu was cremated by the wrong family.
According to the families and hospital records, two women were admitted to Orison Hospital for treatment, and both died on December 19. Manju Diwan’s original body was later returned to her family.