Girl dies during operation in north-east Delhi, family alleges organs stolen

The family of a teenage girl, Sania alias Resham from a north-east Delhi locality, who died allegedly during an operation in Delhi’s Hindu Rao Hospital last month, has made allegations of theft of organs from the girl’s body. The family has alleged that after a supposedly minor operation in the hospital, which is run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), plastic bags, used for collecting urine, were found in her stomach. The family has also shared a picture of the girl’s abdomen, which reveals a deep cut with plastic stuffed inside.

“She had stomach pain but was fit enough to visit the hospital herself. After the CT-scan, the doctor had said that there was a minor problem in her intestine, and they would conduct a minor operation. Thinking that our girl would be fit after the operation, we allowed them to operate despite the girl’s reluctance,” said Nazma, the girl’s mother, to Patriot at her congested home in the New Usmanpur area of north-east Delhi.

The operation was conducted but went wrong, leaving the girl dead. “Mujhe itni badi saza de di. Ab kya hoga (They have given me such a big punishment. What will happen now),” lamented Nazma. The victim’s family has filed a complaint at the Sabzi Mandi police station. It has also filed a case in the Delhi High Court. The police have initiated an investigation into the matter.

For CBI enquiry of this case, the family has filed a writ petition in the High Court. “It’s a murder. Why doesn’t the hospital tell us the reason for the death? It’s clearly carelessness of the hospital. Also, the behaviour of the police was not good. So, we want a CBI enquiry in this case and have filed a writ in High Court against the authorities responsible for this. The hearing will be on the 21st February,” lawyer Shehenshah Khan, who is representing the
family, told Patriot.

The girl, youngest of the eight siblings, was studying in class eight of a government school. His father is a cloth retailer. She was admitted to the hospital on January 21, was operated upon by the doctors on January 24 and was declared dead on January 26.

The family is unhappy with the rude behaviour the hospital authorities displayed while handing over the body.

“They said that if we do not collect the body within 10 minutes, they would put it in a mortuary. So, we collected her body in haste. It was covered with a polythene sheet. After reaching home, while the body was being washed as part of the burial rituals, the women in our family spotted a hole in her stomach. Inside there was polythene and plastic bag used to collect urine. They had taken out the organs. Then we called the police helpline, after which the police reached our house and took custody of the body,” said the 22-year-old Dilshad, the elder brother of the girl.

The deceased’s brother added that the doctors had not informed them that Sania required any major surgery.

“They put her into the operation theatre at around 12 pm and came out at 6 pm before admitting her to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Also, they didn’t permit us to see her as the girl was unconscious at the time. This was despite my father pleading to the doctor many times. Next day, they informed us that the girl had died,” explained Dilshad.

The teenager’s body was first brought to the Maulana Azad Medical College for a post-mortem but when the family was not satisfied with it, a forensic inquiry was conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The report is yet to come out.

“We brought the body packed in a plastic sheet as it used to be during Covid-19. When we saw the condition of her body, we instantly realised that she had died on the day of operation on the January 24. They hadn’t revealed anything to us. Her body had also turned blue. The thick layers of fat from the stomach were removed and plastic was stuffed inside. On our demand, forensic tests have been done in AIIMS but the report is yet to come out. If there is some amount of humanity left [among the doctors], the correct report will come out. Otherwise, chor-chor mosere bhai (all criminals are partners in crime).” said Dilshad.

The Hindu Rao Hospital has, however, denied the allegations made by the family.

Dr Mukesh Kumar, the medical superintendent, told Patriot, “All the allegations are false. We have all the documents regarding this.”

Patriot also contacted Sub Inspector Shailesh Sharma of Sabzi Mandi Police Station regarding the status of the case.
He said, “The inquiry is going on. I can’t reveal anything about this. We don’t reveal anything while the police inquiry is ongoing.”

Nazma, however, remains inconsolable.

“My very caring girl has gone. When I used to go for any function, she would to dress me up very carefully. Hamare saath kitni chaar-sau-beesi aur gaddari ki hai.Raat din ro ro kar aankhein kharaab ho rahi hai. Jaalimo kosaza milni chahiye bas aur mujhe insaaf chahiye. (We have been victims of treachery and cheating. I weep all day and night. The culprits should be punished. I want justice,” she said.