India Prime Tv Jaipur | State Desk Jaipur Aanch Hospital A serious case of dead body mix-up has come to light at Aanch Hospital, located on S.L. Marg in Durgapura, Jaipur. The hospital administration allegedly handed over the body of another deceased person to the family of Girdhari Lal.

The family members took the body and travelled nearly 20 kilometres beyond Kalwar. It was only after removing the shroud that they realized that the body was not that of Girdhari Lal, but of another deceased person.

As soon as the incident came to light, the family members and local residents became angry and gathered outside Aanch Hospital. They staged a protest and sit-in for nearly two hours.

The family accused the hospital administration of serious negligence in identifying and handing over the body. They also alleged that the hospital had charged them a substantial amount in the name of treatment. The protesters demanded that the hospital’s licence be cancelled.

After information about the protest reached the police, a heavy police contingent was deployed outside the hospital. Following the intervention of RLP chief Hanuman Beniwal and subsequent talks, police registered an FIR and initiated an investigation.

What Is the Biggest Question Before the Police?

Jawahar Circle police are collecting evidence in the case. Police have taken possession of CCTV footage from the hospital’s ICU, mortuary and main exit gates.

The footage is being examined to determine which staff members were on duty when the body was handed over and at what stage the identification and handover process went wrong.

Police are also examining the medical records of both deceased patients—Girdhari Lal and Ghesaram—from the time of their admission until their deaths. The death register, medical records and body-handover documents are also being scrutinized.

The forensic and technical examination of these documents is important to determine whether there was any manipulation of records or possible fraud.

Health Department Also Launches Investigation

In view of the seriousness of the incident, the Rajasthan Medical and Health Department has also initiated action.

On the directions of the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), a fact-finding committee has been constituted.

The Health Department is also issuing a show-cause notice to Aanch Hospital, asking why the prescribed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for identifying and handing over the bodies was not followed.

If the hospital’s response is found unsatisfactory and the final investigation report establishes serious negligence, action could include suspension or cancellation of the hospital’s registration/licence.

However, any such action will depend on the findings of the investigation.

Have Any Doctors or Nurses Been Arrested?

Police have registered a criminal case against the hospital management and the staff concerned in connection with alleged negligence and fraud.

However, no doctor or nursing staff member has officially been arrested so far.

Police are first examining CCTV footage, duty rosters and records related to the body-handover process to identify the employees who were directly responsible.

Once individual responsibility is established, police may take further legal action, including arrests, if warranted.

Another Major Question Before the Fact-Finding Committee

The incident came to light on the morning of Saturday, September 19, 2026. Therefore, the final report of the Health Department’s fact-finding committee may take some time.

The committee is also examining the ICU and ventilator records of both patients—Girdhari Lal and Ghesaram—to determine how their entries were recorded and how the prescribed SOP for handing over the bodies was violated.

The Case Goes Beyond the Dead Body Mix-Up

During the protest, Ramesh Chaudhary, nephew of deceased Girdhari Lal, and other family members made serious allegations against the hospital administration.

The family has alleged that the patient had actually died two days earlier, but the hospital administration allegedly continued to show treatment on a ventilator in order to charge the family a large amount of money.

The family has demanded a high-level investigation into the hospital’s previous practices and billing system.

They have also demanded immediate cancellation of the hospital’s licence.

However, these allegations have been made by the family and have not yet been independently established. The allegations will have to be verified through the ongoing investigation and medical evidence.

Biggest Question: Can a Dead Patient Be Kept on a Ventilator?

This has emerged as one of the most serious questions in the case.

If the allegation that the patient had died two days earlier but was still being kept on a ventilator is to be investigated, authorities cannot reach a conclusion based only on allegations or hospital records.

Police and the Health Department will have to examine and match medical, electronic and documentary evidence.

1. Ventilator and ICU Monitor Data

Modern ventilators and multi-parameter ICU monitors can record treatment-related data and machine readings.

Investigators can examine the readings recorded during the relevant period and compare them with the patient’s medical records and documented clinical condition.

The electronic data can also be compared with hospital records and other medical evidence.

2. Post-Mortem Examination and Estimation of Time of Death

If required, a medical board can conduct a post-mortem examination and assess available medical indicators relating to the approximate time of death.

Changes that occur in the body after death—including rigor mortis, livor mortis and changes in body temperature—can help doctors estimate the approximate time since death.

This estimate can then be compared with the time of death recorded by the hospital.

However, a post-mortem examination cannot always establish the exact time of death. Therefore, such findings would need to be assessed alongside other medical and electronic evidence.

3. Nursing Charts and ICU Records

In an ICU, records are generally maintained for a patient’s blood pressure, pulse, oxygen levels, medications, fluid balance and other vital parameters.

Investigators can examine whether the treatment documented in these records is consistent with the patient’s actual medical condition at the relevant time.

If records contain entries that are inconsistent with the available medical evidence, this could become an important basis for investigating possible manipulation of documents.

How Did Such a Major Body Identification Error Occur?

Hospitals generally have multiple levels of verification before a deceased person’s body is handed over to the family. These may include checking the patient’s identity, hospital records, death certificate, identification tags and confirmation by the family.

In this case, police are trying to determine at which stage the failure occurred.

Were the body tags incorrect?

Was there an error in the mortuary records?

Was adequate identification by the family not carried out?

Or was there a discrepancy in the body-handover documents?

The answers could emerge from the examination of CCTV footage, medical records, death registers, duty rosters and handover documents.

What Has the Private Hospital Association Said?

The private hospital association has described the incident as a “human error” and has apologized over the episode.

However, the police and Health Department investigations will determine whether the incident was merely an identification error or whether there was serious negligence or manipulation of records at some level.

What Happens Next?

Three sets of evidence are expected to be particularly important in the police investigation:

First — CCTV footage:
It can help establish who removed the body and which staff member handed it over to the family.

Second — Medical and mortuary records:
These can help verify the identities of both deceased persons and match them with hospital records.

Third — Ventilator, ICU and nursing records:
These can help investigators examine the family’s allegation that treatment was shown as continuing even after the patient’s death.

At present, the dead body mix-up has been established as the central incident, an FIR has been registered and the investigation is underway. However, the allegations concerning the actual time of death, use of the ventilator and billing practices are yet to be established through medical and documentary evidence.

The biggest question is therefore not only:

How were the two bodies exchanged?

There are several other questions before the investigators:

Were the hospital’s records regarding the patient’s death and treatment accurate?

At what stage did the body identification process fail?

Do the allegations regarding billing have any factual basis?

And most importantly—

Do the hospital’s recorded time of death and the available medical evidence match?

The answers to these questions are expected to emerge from the ongoing police and Health Department investigations.