Body meant for autopsy charred in Assam hospital

In a bizarre incident, a body kept in the morgue of a government hospital in Assam was burnt partially on Tuesday when some employees set fire to garbage, triggering widespread protests.

The incident took place at the Civil Hospital in Lakhimpur district, police said. The victim was Deba Bora, a college student who was killed in a road accident on Monday.

"The accident caused serious injuries to Bora. He died in the hospital on Tuesday," said Lakhimpur Superintendent of Police Borjenjit Singha.

"The body was kept in the morgue. However, the cleaning staff put fire to garbage on the backside of the morgue. The fire soon spread to the morgue and burnt the body partially," he said.

Singha said the inquest will be done on the partially burnt body in the presence of a magistrate.

The incident led to massive protests, mostly by college students, in North Lakhimpur town. The protesters demanded action against the hospital authorities for negligence.

While the hospital authorities said only 20 percent of the body got burnt, the family members and locals said that more than 50 percent of the body was charred.